What Is Phenomenological Empathy?

Eugenia Stefanello

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Chapter 7 What Is Phenomenological Empathy?

In: Empathy and Deliberation: The Case for a Phenomenological Approach

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Eugenia Stefanello

Eugenia Stefanello
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Type:: Chapter

Pages:: 139–180

DOI:: https://doi.org/10.1163/9789004745360_009

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Abstract

Chapter 7 argues that a phenomenological account of empathy, particularly one inspired by Edith Stein’s proposal, might better describe the empathic phenomenon and avoid or mitigate some problems of the standard definition. The chapter begins by analyzing Lipps’ account, not only because it was the first to characterize empathy as a tool for understanding others’ interiority, but also because it became a target of criticism for the early phenomenological movement. The discussion then turns to Husserl’s account and the conceptual tools he developed to analyze and describe intersubjective experience. This analysis sheds light on the continuity between Husserl’s ideas and Stein’s approach, while highlighting how she built upon and advanced her mentor’s work. The chapter subsequently outlines the main aspects of Stein’s theoretical framework as developed in her book On the Problem of Empathy (1917). Drawing primarily on Stein’s work and, to a lesser extent, on other early and contemporary phenomenologists, this analysis leads to a tentative definition of what phenomenological empathy is.

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Empathy and Deliberation: The Case for a Phenomenological Approach

Series: Value Inquiry Book Series, Volume: 421 and Studies in Existentialism, Hermeneutics, and Phenomenology, Volume: 421

E-Book ISBN:: 9789004745360

Publisher:: Brill

Print Publication Date:: 16 Apr 2026

Subjects
- Philosophy
  - Epistemology & Metaphysics
  - Ethics & Moral Philosophy

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Chapter 7 What Is Phenomenological Empathy?

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Empathy and Deliberation: The Case for a Phenomenological Approach

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