Michael Ventura - With Great Empathy Comes Great Responsibility
My guest today is Michael Ventura, an accomplished entrepreneur, creative director, and author who specializes in empathy. He is the founder and CEO of the strategy and design studio, Sub Rosa, and also teaches design thinking and integrating empathy into the creative process at Princeton University. His first book, "Applied Empathy", puts empathy at the center of design, innovation, and problem solving.
With great empathy comes great responsibility, apparently. I did not expect to be tasked with using it ethically as if it were a superpower, but it makes sense: if you understand someone at a deep enough level, the potential for manipulation increases. Using examples ranging from the MO of sociopaths to military generals reconciling empathy with combat, Michael gives a fresh and immensely practical perspective on what can go right and wrong when you truly understand another person's being.
Listen as we discuss:
- The meanings of empathy
- How it can be used both benevolently and nefariously and should be regulated by a personal code of ethics
- The 3 types of empathy that distinguish between the Golden Rule and what Michael calls the "Platinum Rule"
- The military and business perspectives and use cases for empathy
- How applying empathy to breast cancer screenings yielded a win-win for all stakeholders
- The value in understanding the "Seven Selves" of every individual, especially yourself
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Connect with Michael Ventura at appliedempathy.com and on Instagram @themichaelventura
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