Hyperempathy and Language
One of the major advantages humans have over other animals is our ability to socialize, and to work together to help out many humans. I remember some Freshman Biology vid about how Neanderthals had squeaky voices and could only really grunt, while humans have developed more advanced vocal chords, and the ability to communicate through language. That ability to socialize has carried humans a long way, first in small hunter gatherer societies, and then into settled farming, which then leads to large empires, which are eventually able to industrialize, bringing us to where we are now. Looking back at those hunter gatherer communities, and at the early farming societies, most would probably describe them as fitting Lauren's idea of hyperempathy. Looking at our societies today, most would consider us to be very unempathetic. We see each other die by the thousands and millions, and go on with our days. I don't think the key to that "primitive hyperempathy" has been lost, a...