Moral Psychology of Compassion

Justin Caouette is Lecturer in Philosophy at Northeastern and Bridgewater State University, Massachusetts. He is the co-editor of ‘Free Will and Moral Responsibility’ (2013 CSP) and his research has been published in the American Journal of Bioethics- Neuroscience, Southwest Philosophy Review, and numerous edited volumes. Regarding media contacts, Caouette has a large following on Twitter as well as an active presence in the philosophical blogosphere. He plans to highlight this book in multiple online forums.Carolyn Price is Senior Lecturer in Philosophy at the Open University. She is the author of Emotion (Polity 2015) and Functions in Mind: A Theory of Intentional Content (OUP 2001), She has published in a range of journals, including Inquiry, Pacific Philosophical Quarterly, Nous, and Philosophical Studies.

• Acknowledgements / Introduction, Carolyn Price and Justin Caouette / 1. The Moral Value of Compassion, Alfred Archer / 2. Appreciating the Virtues of Compassion, Bradford Cokelet / 3. Compassion and Animals: How to Foster Respect for Other Animals in a World without Justice, Cheryl Abbate / 4. Compassion and Consolation, Aaron Cobb / 5. Compassion and Its Pitfalls, Trudy Govier and David Boutland / 6. Compassion and Practical Reason: the Prospective of the Vulnerable, Carla Bagnoli / 7. Buddhism and the Problem of Universal Compassion, Karsten J. Struhl / 8. Compassion in Medicine, Laura W. Ekstrom / 9. Challenges and Opportunities for Compassionate Mental Health Care, Helen Spandler / 10. Compassion in the Workplace, Justin M. Weinhardt and Aidan Dumaisnil

This is probably the most interesting and extensive collection of essays on compassion that I have seen. Chapters by well-known philosophers as well as interesting new voices are featured, and include treatments of compassionate motivation, compassion from a Buddhist perspective, compassion and practical reason, and applications of compassion in practical domains, such as health care, mental health care, and our relations with animals. It is enlightening as well as thought-provoking, and is a “must-read” for anyone who wishes to plumb the depths of compassion’s complexities.