A machine of sorts, called the black empathy box, immerses its users in a new setting where they are all physically and mentally unified into one being, “You felt it, too, he thought. Yes, the voices answered.” (Dick 22-23). Through a “special”, named Isidore, we experience this. Of course Isidore also experiences everyone, just as everyone experiences Isidore. “He experienced them, the others” (Dick 22). In this new place Isidore, now living through a mythical man named Wilbur Mercer, must climb a seemingly endless hill. However, that impossible task alone, is not enough. There are also antagonists wishing to make his infinite journey that much worse. They pelt him with rocks, and one connects with his arm. This pain is felt by all connected to the black empathy box, and not only is it felt there, but it is there waiting for them when they return to the real world.
My question is, could something like this black empathy box teach empathy? If so, is it ethical? In the pursuit of empathy, is it morally okay to put everyone through pain?
I believe that the empathy box could be used to teach empathy on a smaller scale. In the book, Isidore seems almost overwhelmed by the emotions he’s feeling and that could be detrimental to teaching empathy. I think that it is important for children to learn the concept of empathy, and maybe in the future an empathy box could be a good teaching tool, however I’m not sure it is ethical to expose children to pain that closely and intensely at a young age. I feel like one’s own experiences shapes their empathic tendencies, and forcing everyone to have the same level of empathy would create a world of empathic “clones” per say.
I believe that overall, the empathy box could not teach empathy to everyone, but only those who seek to help others in pain. Those that seek to help others in pain, typically, will go through pain themselves to do that, therefore, they will learn to be more empathetic, easily. Those who do not go through pain to help others or chose not to, will have a more difficult time learning to be more empathetic to those in pain. In my opinion, it is ethical and morally okay to put adults through the pain of the experiences that would come with using an empathy box, although if it were used as a teaching tool on children, it would be more traumatic, because up to a certain age, most do not understand why we must help others, and further, why some go through pain to do it.
I don’t think it could explicitly teach someone empathy. It wouldn’t teach in your conventional sense like a teacher or a parent would because that not how it works. I also don’t think it would teach empathy by example, because that is also not really how it works. I do believe it has the capability to teach empathy but not in its current design with the experiences of William Mercer. I believe that its ethical to teach empathy in these ways so long as the experience is not using someone’s trauma as a basis for education. I don’t think its morally okay to put people through pain in order for them to experience empathy, mostly because I think empathy can be taught in other ways than just exposing people to pain.