Alyse Covington
Definition Project
September 19, 2021
Empathy and bias are a defining characteristic of human beings, and what also connects us to not only just humans, but animals as well. It is within our nature to have both, whether or not we are conscious of it. These two topics are interesting because they are able to show how humans can stray from our instincts and differ from one another. It begs the question asking where humans deviate from our nature and can discriminate against others. Empathy and bias are an immense factor within communities, and have the ability to shape the success of the given community going forward. What we have seen through our coursework is how empathy and bias can unite people, or tear them apart, and what lasting impacts these factors can have on our culture and society today.
Throughout the animal kingdom it is evident that animals show empathy towards one another, through emotion, care, and community. Instincts that they are predisposed to and exhibit in a lot of their behavior. In the article, “The Antiquity of Empathy,” the author states, “That empathy is rooted in bodily connections between individuals is reflected in pain contagion in mice (19) and yawn contagion in apes and humans (20),” (deWaal). Elements of empathy humans present such as yawning when we see others yawn is an example of implicit empathy within not only humans, but also animals. Humans are predisposed to many characteristics that take after the animal kingdom, but also can differ because of the society and standards that humans have created. Animals are able to show bias through their recognition of animals that are not their species or group, which humans do as well. What is interesting about human beings however, is that they have also shown to not be empathetic to all people. The same way that animals can make communities, humans do as well. What changes in humans however is implicit bias and the creation of in-groups and out-groups, labelling those who are “us” versus “them”, which strays from what we see in other animals. Although animals have the capacity to understand in-groups and out-groups, they are less prone to discriminating at the same ability as humans.
Although animals differentiate between their species and others, there is less conflict between two communities, unlike what humans have shown to be capable of. This was apparent in the book “Not All Dead White Men,” by Donna Zuckerburg, which discussed an online community that is called the “Red Pill Club,” a group of men who believe in white supremacy, a male dominated world, and discriminate against anyone who does not fit into this group. The members also believe that the world would be a better place if it was operated in the same way as ancient Greece, along with their beliefs, government, and social classes. These members manipulate ancient texts to fit their narrative as well as feed misinformation to others in hopes they will join the Red Pill Club, in a pool of bias and discrimination. As discussed in the lecture by Dr. Tomeka Robinson, the aim of the Red Pill Club is wanting the world to be like ancient Greece, which was not a world that accepted all people, and carried bias throughout every part of their society. Creating such a strong bias is detrimental to societies, and therefore takes away empathy for any other person except those in this group. This lack of empathy towards others and inviolable bias hurts communities that do not fall within the standards of the Red Pill Club and other subcommunities alike. What members of these groups do not understand is the violence and oppression that they create only exacerbates already standing systems and biases that oppress people within societies.
Empathy and bias are not new concepts among the world of humans, yet date back to many ancient civilizations which depict empathy and bias against communities that are not their own. Throughout the ancient texts that have been read, there are strong tactics of discrimination used against those who are not apart of the given in-group. The Suppliants, for example, depicts the story of fifty black women, the daughters of Danaus, who are seeking shelter from violence and forced marriages within Argos. While meeting with the King he notes that they cannot be from Argos because they do not look like the people of Argos, stating, “To me, you look like Libyan women, not our native stock, or maybe spawn of the fertile Nile, ” (Aeschylus 269-271). Pelasgus stating that they likely are not from Argos because of their appearance is an example of bias, but Danaus convinces Pelasgus that they are in fact descendents of Argos. Although the backlash from the Argive citizens is intense, Pelasgus ultimately ends up saving the Danaids from the Egyptians. This play has created several different interpretations but also shows empathy and bias, and how both of these are present within communities, though one might be more present than another.
Plunging into today’s age, empathy and bias are shown to either discredit or uplift communities. Within today’s culture the role of each can be seen across a myriad of current issues and events. Empathy was shown within the Me Too movement, where women came forward addressing their experiences of sexual harassment within a workplace, which inspired empathy from other women who have experienced the same. Another example is the Black Lives Matter movement standing with Stop Asian Hate, having empathy for racial discrimination that people of color face, especially since the COVID-19 pandemic. The empathy created from movements was built because of bias, and the harm it has done to many communities. Dr. John Teehan in the very first lecture, The Evolution of Community: Its Promises and Challenges, discussed how communities face conflict and sacrifice in an attempt to survive and be successful, what needs are to be met and what people will have to give up. Empathy and bias is rooted within this because it is what can build up or break a community, and humans need to recognize how each of these traits within themselves either improve the wellbeing of the community or are a detriment to it.
From ancient texts to current events, empathy and bias can be found in every part of the world around us, even within nature. These factors have paved the way for the present world as well as the future generations, and each is malleable and susceptible to change, but humans have to be part of the change that creates a healthier community and environment. The world continues to evolve with those who inhabit it, which requires everyone to step outside what is comfortable and make sacrifices for the greater good. Empathy and bias are so complex because they can make or break communities. Though the connection between finding those you relate to is very important, it can also create conflict between those who are not part of said group. Although communities can lift people up and create connections, they can also divide people and tear them apart. All of these factors can be led back to empathy and bias, and what parts of human nature people stay true to and what people stray from.
Aeschylus. The Suppliants. Translated by Peter Burian, Princeton University Press, 1991,eds.p.ebscohost.com/eds/ebookviewer/ebook/bmxlYmtfXzc5MTEwNV9fQU41?sid=cbbc45be-3efc-4a42-92e6-5c6ede8fdf3c@redis&vid=0&format=EB&rid=1, Accessed 2021.
De Waal, F. B. (2012). The Antiquity of Empathy. Science, 336(6083), 874-876. doi:10.1126/science.1220999
Efthymiou, Andrea. “The Suppliants: Women As Civic Rhetors in Ancient Greece.”
Rabinowitz Honors College Culture and Expression, Hofstra University, 23 September 2021, John Cranford Adams Playhouse, Hempstead, NY. Lecture.
Robinson. Tomeka. “Gender and Race in the Classical World, Not All Dead White Men.” Honors College Culture and Expression, Hofstra University, 2 September 2021,
John Cranford Adams Playhouse, Hempstead, NY. Lecture.
Teehan, John. “The Evolution of Community: Its Promises and Challenges.” Rabinowitz Honors College Culture and Expression, Hofstra University, 2 September 2021, John Cranford Adams Playhouse, Hempstead, NY. Lecture.Zuckerberg, Donna. Not All Dead White Men: Classics and Misogyny in the Digital Age. Harvard University Press, 2018.
Alyse Covington 