Category Archives: empathy through experience

Who was the greatest Victorian traveller? A fish collector

By Roman Krznaric | Published: 15 July 2010
Who was the greatest traveller of the Victorian era? Amongst the usual top contenders you will find the name of Sir Richard Francis Burton. Best known for translating The Thousand and One Nights from Arabic and for visiting Mecca in 1853 disguised as a Muslim pilgrim, Burton wandered for years throughout the Middle East, Far East and Africa. He had an extraordinary talent for languages – he could speak twenty-nine of them – and was a master of assimilating himself into local cultures. Just after his death in 1890 he was described as 'a Mohammedan among Mohammedans, a Mormon among Mormons, a Sufi among the Shazlis, and a Catholic among the Catholics.'
Also posted in history, politics, religion, travel, uncategorized | Leave a comment

The Empathy Top Five: Who are the greatest empathists of all time?

By Roman Krznaric | Published: 27 March 2010
The moment has finally come for the Outrospection blog to put its cards on the table and boldly declare who are the greatest empathists of all time. Our selection committee has been painstakingly deliberating over the choices for several months, and you might well be surprised by the results. No, Barack Obama does not appear in our top five, even though he believes 'the empathy deficit' to be the greatest scourge of modern society. And not even famed empathetic individuals such as the Dalai Lama, Mother Teresa or Jesus Christ have shown what it takes to make the grade.
Also posted in empathy through collaboration, empathy through conversation, film, general, literature | 2 Comments

Five ways to expand your empathy

By Roman Krznaric | Published: 1 January 2010
It is usual, at this time of year, to make a series of earnest New Year’s Resolutions which – by tradition – you resolutely fail to keep. Why not try promising yourself some New Year’s Explorations instead and widen your personal horizons. Expanding your empathy might offer just what you are looking for. Empathising is an avant-garde form of travel in which you step into the shoes of another person and see the world from their perspective. It is the ultimate adventure holiday – far more challenging than a bungee jump off Victoria Falls or trekking solo across the Gobi desert. Here are my five top tips for transforming yourself into an empathetic adventurer over the coming months.
Also posted in empathy through conversation, empathy through education | 8 Comments

How an industrial designer discovered the elderly

By Roman Krznaric | Published: 1 November 2009
There is a long tradition of developing empathy through direct experience of other people’s lives. Much of it has been aimed at understanding the lives of those living in poverty.  In the late 1920s George Orwell dressed up as a tramp and wandered the streets of East London with vagabonds and beggars, a period of his [...]
Also posted in design | 5 Comments