Elon Musk has come under fire for describing empathy as a threat to civilisation, in remarks made during a podcast appearance that have resonated with segments of the American right. The billionaire told Joe Rogan that 'civilisational suicidal empathy' was a weakness being exploited by immigrants, echoing views promoted by Canadian marketing professor Gad Saad.
White evangelical Christians in the United States have also begun to recast empathy as a 'sin' or 'toxin', particularly when it complicates support for Donald Trump’s agenda. The debate has extended to Catholic circles, with Vice President JD Vance invoking the medieval concept of 'ordo amoris' to justify policies prioritising family and nation over outsiders—a stance that drew a rebuke from Pope Francis but support from some conservative Catholic thinkers.
Critics argue that this growing opposition to empathy, which Musk framed as a 'bug in western civilisation', represents a dangerous shift. The Trump administration’s first months have seen mass deportations, cuts to aid programmes, and self-interested foreign policy—measures that amount to mass suffering, according to opponents.
The study of empathy, originally coined in 1908 from the German 'Einfühlung', involves understanding others’ thoughts and feelings. The rightwing campaign to discredit this capacity is described by observers as a 'flashing red light' warning of fascist intent.
