Judicial Empathy

Apologies for the radio silence - I've been traveling and away from a reliable internet connection. (Taking a break from Google is one of the true pleasures of travel. I'm afraid, however, that it's an endangered pleasure, like train travel. I'm always impressed by all the places, from airplanes to remote beach hotels, that are now wireless.*)

David Brooks has an excellent column today on the emerging neuroscience of morality and the "useful falsehood" of the rational judge:

In reality, decisi