Transforming Compassion - Seminar II
On Friday 12. September the second major seminar in the Transforming Compassion project was held at the University of Agder. The main speakers offered academic responses to the research questions, focusing on how their disciplines attempt to understand compassion across significant boundaries such as religion, age and gender.
LeRon Shults, scientific director of the project, opened the seminar with an overview of the conceptual framework, outlining the project’s progress and further plans for cooperating with The Council for a Parliament of the World’s Religions and the International Society for Science and Religion. (Handout and PowerPoint from his presentation)
Ethicist Paul Leer-Salvesen discussed what he called “The Grammar of Compassion”. He emphasized the need to explore the way words are being used “in real life”” and argued that compassion (and ethics in general) can not be grounded in feelings alone. Leer-Salvesen suggested that the virtue of compassion should be complemented with the golden rule of reciprocity.
Sociologist Gunhild Hagestad also underlined the importance of language for a better understanding across different boundaries. Not only are the connotations of words such as compassion often lost when translated across languages, they can be interpreted and understood differently across generations. Hagestad expressed concern about what she called “segregation of the bookends” (the very young and the very old), and emphasized the importance of storytelling to facilitate a better understanding across generations.
Psychologist and sexologist Elsa Almås explored the topic of compassion with special attention on gender differences. She highlighted different psychological aspects that may help explain the origin, conditions and goals for compassionate behavior. She also commented on the role of culture and society as conditioning human behavior and participation in the lives of others. (PowerPoint from her presentation)
The presentations were followed by an hour long panel session where the speakers discussed with the audience challenges related to the project, as well as the challenges we all face in our daily lives as we try to do what we believe is right and good.