Compassion = Total-Person Empathy
The first (but not exclusive) dictionary meaning of compassion in the West is pity. I use Compassion to mean Total-Person Empathy, a far more accurate interpretation.
— In Eastern traditions, Compassion similarly aligns with Total-Person Empathy. I capitalize Compassion consistently to emphasize the inherent worth of the whole person. See also Compassion, Basically.
Total person
Encompassing body, mind, and ‘soul’ — the latter being the deeper mind. This ‘deeper mind’ is the vast network of mental-neuronal patterns, many of which remain beneath conscious awareness. This aligns with an expanding body of scientific evidence. Ignoring it is like denying the earth’s roundness or the universe’s vastness. Ignoring this reality never made sense and certainly doesn’t now.
The analogy of Artificial Neural Networks (ANNs)
In ANNs, too, we find networks in the ‘hidden layers.’ Though imperfect, this analogy offers insight into what resides beneath the surface (hidden layers) and their necessity for meaningful action. An ANN without hidden layers is useless. Without a deeper mind, a person would be like a zombie—a concept that doesn’t truly exist.
Ignoring ANNs’ deeper layers – of which, at present, there are frequently many in one ANN system – would regress us to the outdated era of purely conceptual A.I., risking another A.I. winter that could shake humanity to its core.
Mind-body connection
It’s nonsensical to believe we can consciously produce a placebo effect. Just try it. It doesn’t work, including in open placebo. Yet, the placebo effect is consistently proven in research and observable in brain fMRI scans.
Something must do it, and it is not purely conscious wishful thinking.
Ignoring the deeper mind renders vast scientific discoveries meaningless, a reality we can’t afford to overlook.
This is what’s inside Compassion to me.
It transcends pity.
It’s much more profound than mere friendliness.
It goes beyond empathy and sympathy.
It is far more than a simple emotional reaction.
It is fundamentally different from altruism.
It’s an integrated approach to understanding and connecting with ourselves and others on the deepest levels.
It is something that puts humanity in its rightful place.
It is a guiding force that keeps humanity grounded.
We need Compassion to remain truly human, particularly in a rapidly advancing technological world where super-A.I. will soon surpass our wildest imaginations.
We must discover who we are.
Related Posts
Is Compassion a Bridge Too Far?
Compassion is hard to grasp — and that’s part of the challenge. People frequently either get it or they don’t. For many, it seems as remote as Eastern Enlightenment, or as unreachable as genuine human depth in a world focused on surfaces. It’s no surprise that some call it ‘a bridge too far.’ And yet, Read the full article…
Is Compassion Basic?
Many see Compassion as nothing but a virtue we can choose to practice or not. But what if Compassion is, at the same time, as basic to the universe as gravity or entropy, though appearing in a different form? This exploration takes us along a cosmic ladder, from matter and energy to life and intelligence, Read the full article…
Why A.I. Must Be Compassionate
This is bound to become the most critical issue in humankind’s history until now, and probably also from now on ― to be taken seriously. Not thinking about it is like driving blindfolded on a highway. If you have read my book The Journey Towards Compassionate A.I., you know much of what’s in this text. Read the full article…