This chapter contains sections titled: In Cold Bold: The Moral Psychology of Fictional Serial Killers I Think I'll Eat Your Heart: The Lack‐of‐Empathy Explanation Dexter and the Extreme Lack of Understanding The Hot‐Blooded Reality: Sex, Rage, Fame My Evil Just Happened to Come Out: Empathy Inhibits? Serial Killing Because They Care? “Angels of Death” “I didn't want to hurt them, I only wanted to kill them”: Empathic Dissonance The Serial Killer Next Door?

This chapter contains sections titled: Caring About Caring A Face Only a Mother Could Love? Tough Love: Paternalism as a Form of Caring Paternalism is Not Justice by Another Name Can My Dad Care Too Much? The Importance of Tough Love Notes.

The idea that Jake could understand the Na'vi by driving his avatar for a few months is as absurd as thinking that Bill Gates could understand what it means to be poor if he chose to live below the poverty line for a few months. Selfridge and Quaritch show that it's possible to achieve cognitive empathy for the Na'vi without being an avatar driver. Their judgments about what the Na'vi are thinking don't differ much from those of Grace and Jake. (...) The cognitive empathy may influence actions to some degree. It may be part of the reason why Selfridge initially favors a less aggressive approach to relocating the Na'vi. Even as Jake is developing a deeper understanding of Omaticaya, he still makes reports to Quaritch that are used to plan an assault on “the people.”. (shrink)

This chapter contains sections titled: Mind Games Is It or Isn't It? It Takes Two The Talk The Friend Zone Do You Like Me? Check Box, Yes or No.

Even though he serves the people of Earth as Superman, Clark Kent is still the one who pays income taxes to the US government, who renews his driver's license in Metropolis, and who is (sometimes) married to Lois Lane. In giving up his American citizenship, Superman appears to be denying exceptionalism, the belief that one nation ‐ in this case, the United States ‐ is qualitatively superior in some way to other nations. Superman is inescapably an American icon in that (...) he is deeply embedded in American society. Superman can affect the world in ways that far exceed Appiah's examples of interconnectedness, so the argument for cosmopolitanism is much more compelling for Superman. The question one needs to consider is whether Superman should feel morally obligated to avoid the appearance of impropriety. (shrink)

A modern Stoic might say the fact that the universe has kept things going for billions of years suggests that we should pay more attention to its workings as we organise our life. We should definitely not let our feelings overtake us and cause us to lose sight of how well things can work out. Even when they don’t seem to work out, as when the Watchmen fail to stop Ozymandias from saving the world, the universe seems to correct for (...) it. (shrink)

This chapter contains section titled: “A More Meaningful Impact” “Desperate People Take Desperate Measures” “An Extension of the Cylons' Corporeal Authority” “We're Gonna Be There, Tyin' the Knots, Makin' 'em Tight” “A New Day Requires New Thinking” Notes.

His renunciation of citizenship is a symbolic denial of American exceptionalism, but it is not an abandonment of America or the values that it – but not it alone – represents and promotes.