Tag: Empathy

Chapter 12. Ethical Extortion and the “Well-Meaning” Harasser

Salvatore LeonardiComunitàLascia un commento

Abstract: After delineating the figure of the serial criminal, this chapter addresses a much more subtle and pervasive social drift: the “well-meaning serial harasser”. The Mechanics of Community traces a rigorous topological distinction between those who extort energy through violence and those who constantly invade the vital boundary of citizens wielding the shield of moral superiority (NGOs, beggars, activists). Drawing on the insights of F. Nietzsche, P. Bruckner, and A. Finkielkraut, the chapter reveals how the ideology of Human Rights has generated a new pathology: the “Superior Moralis”, the individual or magistrate who, despite having produced no material value through sweat and study, acquires a dominant and untouchable social status by self-proclaiming to be a defender of the “absolute good”. The healthy node thus suffers a thermodynamic and judicial extortion: he cannot defend himself by rejecting the intrusion without suffering the stigma of the “villain”. This induced paralysis transforms the social Discontinuum into a minefield of institutionalized micro-harassments.

The Social Self: Neural Foundations of Our Connected Identity

Dicearco da Messinapillole di neuroscienzeLascia un commento

bstract
This article explores the concept of the “Social Self” as a psychological construct rooted in the complex interactions between the limbic system and the neocortex. Drawing on current neuroscientific evidence, it examines the neural circuits responsible for processing emotions, attitudes, and moods that shape our identity in relation to others. The specific contributions of regions such as the amygdala, insula, dopaminergic reward system, medial prefrontal cortex, and temporoparietal junction to the formation of the social self are outlined. Subsequently, the article identifies the corresponding psychological domains of the social self, including social cognition, empathy, emotional regulation in interpersonal contexts, attachment, and group identity, illustrating how the health and balance of these neural circuits are fundamental for a functional “social self” and for overall psychological well-being.