I’m not a pacifist. I believe that the suffering of innocents can sometimes warrant military intervention, as, again, in the decision by the United States to enter World War II. But empathy tilts the scale too much in favor of violent action. It directs us to think about the benefits of war—avenging those who have suffered, rescuing those who are at further risk. In contrast, the costs of war are abstract and statistical, and a lot of these costs fall upon those we don’t care about and hence don’t empathize with. Once the war is under way, one can try to elicit empathy for those who have
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Yes, this is good - empathy will cut both ways during a war (see the retrospective justification of torture on the basis of injuries to American soldiers) and in the lead up, will naturally side with selling scores, as the other side hadn't yet suffered.
