2.3.15: The Empathy Deficit, An Argument Against Pedigree Dogs, & Maps During Conflict

Empathy, the ability to share in the emotions of another, has been on the decline since the 1980’s, with the steepest drop occurring in the past ten years. So what’s the big deal? On today’s show, we’ll discuss how to become a more empathetic human being. 

Plus, in just a few weeks, canines from around the world will face off in the best of breed categories at the Westminster dog show. But are pure bred dogs a cause for celebration? Or outrage?

Listen to the full show and click Read more for individual segments.

Why Empathy Matters, and How to Get It

• Roman Krznarik is a writer, philosopher, and founding faculty member of The School Of Life in London. His latest book is: Empathy: Why It Matters, and How to Get It.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BG46IwVfSu8

Blind Dinner

• When you sit down to eat, you probably don’t think much about hand-eye coordination, but try eating without being able to see, and that changes. NHPR's North Country reporter Sean Hurley recently ate a meal blindfolded at an event held by the NH Association for the Blind at Giuseppe’s restaurant in Meredith.
• You can listen to this story, find photos from the evening and read a transcript of the audio at this link: Dinner in the Dark Serves up a Taste of Living with Blindness.

A Matter of Breeding

• Michael Brandow is author of the book, A Matter of Breeding: A Biting History of Pedigree Dogs and How the Quest for Status Has Harmed Man’s Best Friend.

Maps and Conflict

• Rabbi Michael Cohen is a writer, and a conflict resolution professor at Bennington College, and he wrote about a published map that purposefully left a country in the Middle East blank, for the Huffington Post.