The United States is witnessing a drastic redefinition of the policies and practices associated with “public education.” Discussions around the future of public education are strong on passion but short on actual evidence. We are establishing an open venue- a true public forum to debate controversial and consequential policy issues that will shape American’s future, and welcome you to the conversation.
Friday, September 11, 2009
How Fiction Reading Affects Empathy
Through a series of studies, we have discovered that fiction at its best isn't just enjoyable. It measurably enhances our abilities to empathize with other people and connect with something larger than ourselves.
Percy Bysshe Shelley arrived at this conclusion nearly 200 years ago:
"The great secret of morals is Love; or a going out of our own nature, and an identification of ourselves with the beautiful which exists in thought, action, or person, not our own. A man, to be greatly good, must imagine intensely and comprehensively; he must put himself in the place of another and of many others; the pains and pleasures of his species must become his own. The great instrument of moral good is the imagination; and poetry administers to the effect by acting upon the cause."
What an interesting article.
ReplyDeletePercy Bysshe Shelley arrived at this conclusion nearly 200 years ago:
ReplyDelete"The great secret of morals is Love; or a going out of our own nature, and an identification of ourselves with the beautiful which exists in thought, action, or person, not our own. A man, to be greatly good, must imagine intensely and comprehensively; he must put himself in the place of another and of many others; the pains and pleasures of his species must become his own. The great instrument of moral good is the imagination; and poetry administers to the effect by acting upon the cause."
From A Defense of Poetry, 1820
Really great article. It makes a lot of sense too, given that behavorial cognitive therapy works on a similiar basis.
ReplyDeleteDo they really work similarly?
ReplyDelete__________
Elearning
Well Article is Good,but fiction will not educate your character, its will show you all the non real things that will get you away from real life.
ReplyDelete