ABSTRACT
This chapter discusses the historical roots of empathy in Einfuhlung, the role of ‘feeling into’ inanimate objects, cognitive empathy and understanding works of art, affective empathy and art appreciation, the variety of artistic characters that can be empathized with, and the potential of art to enhance our empathy and moral attitudes towards others. Einfuhlung is German for ‘feeling into’ or, as some say, ‘feeling oneself into.’ The idea of empathy in art as Einfuhlung finds a contemporary expression in the idea that the appreciation of certain forms of art involves a kind of re-enactment on the part of the art lover. Pictures, plays, movies, drama, poetry, literature, and music all express emotions of human or human-like characters, mostly fictional ones, but not always. There is another way empathy may be exercised in the comprehension of, or engagement with, works of art. Art is believed to do more than simply provide aesthetic pleasure or entertainment.
