The Culture of Empathy website is a growing portal for resources and information about the values of empathy and compassion. It contain articles, conferences, definitions, experts, history, interviews,  videos, science and much more about empathy and compassion. To stay up to date on the latest, sign up for our Facebook group and newsletter now.

Our mission is to contribute to Building a Culture of Empathy and Compassion. We do this through a variety of means.  First is by community organizing.  We bring people together and hold in-person and online meetings to help build this movement. Through experiential hands on activities and by education. Next is by collecting and organizing all the material we find on the internet on the topics. Researching through the arts and sciences. We are putting together a series of documentaries to entertain and educate the public and much more.

Our next project is the conference on, How to Build a Culture of Empathy and Compassion? Contact us if you'd like to be involved in the planning and organizing of this event. Our first urgent need is a large facility in the East Bay Area in which to hold the event. Let's help fill the empathy deficit by making people more aware of the fundamental importance of empathy and compassion in our lives. This is a collaborative project and we invite you to take part. Send me an email if you'd like to get involved with the group or with creating this video, etc.  Edwin Rutsch  (email)


Blog Roll

Animated Overview of The Empathic Civilization
A wonderful animation of the importance of empathy in society. ...more


 
 

Barack Obama Promotes the Importance of Empathy
Barack Obama talks about the importance of 'standing in other peoples shoes' and 'looking through other peoples eyes' in many of his speeches (see all 60+). 
Barack: When I see the empathy deficit that damages so much of our politics.
Charlie: What is the empathy deficit?
 Barack: The inability of people to stand in other folks shoes. ..  It's hard to empathize with people who have different values than you.... more

Empathy As the foundation of a New 21st Century Enlightenment  from Matthew Taylor
Shows how a new Enlightenment is being developed and one of the foundations is the value of empathy.  After  an explanation of 18th Century Enlightenment, the empathy part starts about half way into the video.

About Mirror Neurons
Mirror neurons as source of empathy, Story of boy with Aspergers Syndrome , Interviews VS Ramachandra.


 

Seeking Empathy at Johannes Mehserle - Oscar Grant Demonstrations in Walnut Creek

A rally was held in Walnut Creek, California to support the BART Police Officer, Johannes Mehserle who was convicted of shooting Oscar Grant. A counter rally was also held and a heated confrontation between the two sides ensued. I went to talk with participants on all sides about their views and experience of the value of empathy. See the video.

Tracing the Origins of Human Empathy
Mirror neurons, yawning, mirroring, Frans de Waal, Kevin Ochsner, brain studies, identifying with certain groups.

Pain, Violence, Justice and a Quest for Empathy at the Oakland Oscar Grant Protest
Edwin Rutsch interviewing participants about the role of empathy in their lives, at a demonstration about a Police Officer that shot an African American man in a subway (BART) station in Oakland, California.
 

Culture of Empathy In The News
Empathy Cafe and documentary project was mentioned in this Contra Costa Times, Oakland Tribune and San Jose Mercury article. You can download the article as a jpeg file (300k) to view the complete article with photos.



Empathy HealthCare Cafe Meeting
A meeting to discuss the role of empathy in the Healthcare Debate. Using the World Cafe format, participants share personal stories and experiences.

 

Barack Obama Promotes Empathy: Town Hall Meeting - Fairfield IA
"somehow we have lost the capacity to recognize our self in each other. People talk a lot about the federal deficit, but one of the things I always talk about is we have a empathy deficit in this country. That people seem to have lost a sense that we are all in it together." ..more