justice, often ignore the conditions that make such action possible or likely, at both
individual and collective level. Where such rules play a part, it is at the very least
because they are deeply embedded in individuals’ or communities’ identities and
sense of self, rather than because they are possessed of an irresistible power of
persuasion. Otto, the Rescuer we encountered in the previous chapter, noted that
“[the] hand of compassion was faster than the calculus of reason”.^2
The previous chapter introduced Richard Rorty’s influential work on the
mechanics of such persuasion, through a process of sentimental education. His
question is essentially the classic pragmatist one: what works? His own answer is
that it depends on portraying others as “like us” through the telling of “sad and
sentimental stories”. While for Rorty, that “like us” is unlikely to function at the
level of humanity as a whole, empirical work done on the Rescuers (admittedly a
possibly exceptional group of people) suggested that the identity of common
humanity was remarkably salient for them. But Rorty’s move is still a useful one.
Political theorists often focus on discussions about right motives, at the expense of
an account of what actually motivates us to act – or, in the absence of a definitive
account – what seems to motivate us to act. The question of how important “right”
motives are will be addressed in the next chapter. For now, what concerns us is
essentially an empirical question. What mechanisms are effective in stimulating
humanitarian concern, and transforming that concern into action, or at least a
willingness to act?
As it stands, the picture we can paint is only as clear as our understanding of
the human mind, which is to say, still relatively obscure (although fairly rapid
progress is afoot). But some plausible directions lie elsewhere, in the discussions
about empathy, sympathy, compassion and pity that have been ongoing for
centuries. Adam Smith’s version of practical reasoning certainly took these issues
seriously. More recently, neuroscientists have revived the study of the emotions as
a central plank of reasoning and consciousness.^3 One of the many dilemmas facing
professional humanitarians is that of how to negotiate this patchwork of emotions,
2
3 Monroe, The Hand of Compassion , 91.
Hunt, Inventing Human Rights , 110.