“Enemies and Empathy”

In our minds, human beings both create images of the enemy and feel deep empathy towards others. We dehumanize those we label as threats and share the feelings of those we embrace. How do we balance these two often-conflicting tendencies? Can we find a way to protect ourselves while deescalating our own “fight or flight” reactions? Hugh Taft-Morales explores these opposing poles of psychological frameworks for relating to other people and their relation to Ethical Humanism.

Hugh Taft-Morales joined the Baltimore Ethical Society as its professional leader in 2010, the same year he was certified by the American Ethical Union as an Ethical Culture Leader. He also serves as Leader of the Ethical Humanist Society of Philadelphia. His presence in Ethical Culture has been termed “invigorating.” Taft-Morales lives in Takoma Park, Maryland, with his wife Maureen, a Latin American Analyst with the Congressional Research Service, with whom he has three beloved children, Sean, Maya, and Justin.