Well, one of the defining characteristics of humans and human intelligence is empathy--the ability, often involuntary, to imagine or predict how someone or some

Well, one of the defining characteristics of humans and human intelligence is empathy--the ability, often involuntary, to imagine or predict how someone or something else experiences the world. Or at least the incredible extent and depth of our empathy. Mammals in general often display basic empathy, presumably a reflection of their mammalian offspring caregiving instincts, which in turn is presumably at the root of our own empathy. It's not at all surprising our empathy is selective and context dependent, though. What's surprising is that we exhibit it to the extent we do, however inconsistently. And if you truly believe that there exists no absolute truth then I invite you to walk off a cliff. It would be less of a leap than assuming that just because culture is complex and often inherently subjective that there is no absolute truth.