Public Affairs Conference 2023 - Human Expression, Empathy and the Social Experience

No one truly exists as a coherent being without a means of expressing their identity, even privately.  Perceptions, emotions, memories, and beliefs all help to shape a person’s understanding of themselves, as well as how they are known to others.  If meaning is created through language—be it a language of words, images, music, or movement—then it is unsurprising that, as research suggests, engaging with artistic forms of expression stimulates the development of empathy.  How does an intensely technologized and mediated society affect an individual’s means of expression? In a time when art and language are easily generated by various forms of technology, how can understanding and engaging in various forms of expression and empathy help people to navigate and contribute to the personal, professional and social experience of being human?   

Free