Deliberations on values and normativity in moral philosophy are witnessing a transition from traditional moral absolutes and relative models to discursive and subjective models defined and determined by phronesis and praxix-oriented approaches. Empathy, conceived as the ability to understand and feel with the other, is gaining currency as a normative metaphor in the emergent models of ethics. The inclusive epistemology of empathy reshapes the dictums and contorus of moral principles and practices. This volume introduces some of the emergent models and researches on how empathy enhances the conventional ethical paradigms in professional practices in society. The application of the principles of empathy in various ethical scenarios in the healthcare field, incorporating empathy into the philosophical deliberations on ethical normativity, appropriation of business ethics and law from the perspective of empathy, and visualising a moral theology informed by empathy are the major focal themes of this volume.

Contents

Editorial
Preface

Part I: Empathy in Healthcare

1. The Role of Empathy in Complex Patient Encounters
    V. P. Gangadharan

2. The Neurology of Empathy
    Anandkumar

3. Mirror Neurons as Neural Correlates of Empathy
    Dave Augustine Akkara

4. Are there Health Outcomes for Empathy?
    Roy Varghese

5. Ethics of Doctor-Patient Relationship in Indian Medical System
    R. Lekshmi & C. V. Sandhya

Part II: Empathy and Society

6. Does Empathetic Behaviour Justify Embodiment in Social Cognition?
    Remya C.

7. Empathetic Fraternity in the Light of Pope Francis’ Encyclical, Fratelli Tutti
    Gerald Grudzen

8. Integrating Sustainability, Ethics and Empathy: The Growth and Impact of ESG Practices in India’s Corporate Sector
    Kuruvilla Pandikattu

9. Judicial Empathy
    Josia P.

Part III: Empathy and Normative Philosophy

10. Is Empathy a Metaphor for Ethics?
      Paul Thelakat

11. ‘Field’ as a Category of Interpretation: Recipe for a Scientific Concept of Empathy
      Joseph Mathew

12. Beyond Empathy: A Phenomenological Approach from Indian Philosophy
      Sreekala M. Nair

13. Empathy, Love and Non-violence as the Pragmatic Praxis of Yajña
      Augustine Pamplany

14. Empathetic Experience of Francis S. Collins
      S. Ignacimuthu

Part IV: Empathy and Moral Theology

15. Empathising with Sexual Minority: A Quest for Hermeneutical Justice
      Saji Mathew Kanayankal

16. Revisiting Roe Vs Wade: Does Empathetic Theology Matter?
      Libin Joseph

17. Religious Belief and the Alleviation of Pain: How Does It Work?
      Miguel Farias, Romara Delmonte & Telmo Baptista

18. The Evolutionary Notion of Altruism and the Thomistic View of Love in Dialogue
      Sain Chandy Vadakkan

Contributors

Dr Augustine Pamplany CST, is the founder director of Institute of Science and Religion, Jnana Niketan - Institute of Philosophy and Religion, Aluva, Kerala.

Dr Kuruvilla Pandikattu SJ, is the Chair Professor, JRD Tata Foundation for Business Ethics, XLRI, Xavier School of Management, Jamshedpur.

Dr Tigi Augustine CST, is Dean, Jnana Niketan - Institute of Philosophy and Religion, Aluva, Kerala.