ABSTRACT
The relation between empathy and intersubjectivity, however, is one area in which the rubber hits the road, connecting directly to core issues in moral philosophy. In fact, when empathy meets intersubjectivity, people encounter some of the most exciting questions about their social lives, such as altruism, compassion, self-interest, immortality, and the connection between morality and rationality. Taken quite literally, however, the fusion of self and other seems to lead to a negative upshot: the intersubjectivity in empathy actually motivates egoism or makes the egoism-altruism divide inapt. Optimists believe empathy puts one in touch with others in a way that generates a compassionate concern that forms the foundation of morality and even immortality. The intersubjectivity in empathy is most easily captured by positing a strong mental divide between oneself and another. So it does not seem that people can appeal to merging to ground an egoistic, or even "nonaltruistic", account.
