Compassion: Emotion, Virtue, or Trait?

   Over the centuries scores of philosophers and theologians have written about compassion, postulating on the question: What is Compassion? A variety of conceptualizations have emerged from the discussions, each supported by their own arcane reasoning and worldviews.

   To provide a little perspective, I’ve come up with a brief overview of the history of compassion conceptualization, (avoiding tedious diatribes and minutiae). An online search of Compassion followed by the philosopher or theologian’s name will provide more reading material for those so inclined.

   From a philosophical standpoint, Aristotle (384 - 322BC) can be seen as the progenitor of Western compassion thinking and definitions, having explored the ethics, virtues, and emotions that define much of today’s philosophical moral landscape. Responding to, arguing with, and augmenting his foundational ideas were the forbearers of current philosophy, including Arthur Schopenhauer (1788-1860), Jean Jacques Rousseau (1712-1889), Immanuel Kant (1724-1804), and David Hume (1711-1776). These philosophers’ writings provide fodder for philosophical discussion on the concepts and definitions of compassion to this day.

   From a religious and spiritual standpoint, and predating Christianity by many thousands of years, the Eastern Vedic philosophies of the Upanishads and Hindu religions trace the origins of their oral traditions of compassion 10,000 years BCE. Gautama the Buddha taught on wisdom and compassion 2,500 years ago. Currently, the Buddhist voice of compassion most widely quoted is the 14^th Dalai Lama.

   In the Judeo-Christian tradition, the old and new testaments of the Bible are filled with references to compassion, from the earliest historical books passed down through oral tradition through the Gospels and other books that reference Jesus’ teachings. (One online concordance identifies 82 passages in the NIV Bible containing the word Compassion: http://www.biblegateway.com/quicksearch/?quicksearch=compassion&qs_version=NIV.) Beyond direct Biblical references, compassion has found its way into many theologian’s writings, from St. Thomas of Aquinas (1225-1274) and St. Francis of Assisi (1181-1226) to Thomas Merton (1915-1968), all of whom provided ample material for current writers’ discussions.

   This brief overview serves to illustrate the long and rich history behind the concept of compassion. The actual content of these historical discussions divides into three discrete areas of defining what compassion is: Emotion, Virtue, or Trait. Without getting too bogged down, here’s a condensed version of the three discussions:

   Compassion as emotion: Emotions are considered feeling states that are separate from analytical or cognitive thinking processes. Identifying compassion as an emotion puts it in the realm of other positive emotion states such as love, joy, and happiness. (For an online list of positive emotions, go here: http://lightisreal.com/positiveemotionlist.html.) Considering compassion as an emotion also puts it in the realm of a possibly “uncontrollable” entity that emerges, unbidden from the unconscious.

   Compassion as a virtue: A virtue is a moral or ethical behavior that is based upon cognitive choices, the opposite behavior being a vice. Other virtues that have been identified include generosity, discipline, and patience. (For an online list of 120 virtues, go here: http://virtuescience.com/virtuelist.html.) The concept of compassion as a virtue allows one the ability to cultivate it, and increase one’s ability to practice compassion.

   Compassion as a trait: A trait is a behavioral characteristic that is seen as something that develops in response to one’s childhood, upbringing, genetic predispositions, economic circumstances, environment, historical events, life course or traumas. Traits can be identified as personality traits or character traits, and include characteristics such as cheerful, optimistic, or sincere. (For a list of traits, go here: http://www.gurusoftware.com/GuruNet/Personal/TraitsPsychologicalSocial.htm.) Traits are considered both default behaviors and characteristics that can be developed or changed.

   When thinking about how a person can develop compassion, all three of these subgroupings are useful to consider. Emotions can be nurtured, virtues can be cultivated, and traits can be emphasized and reinforced. This is to say that most people, if they have the desire, can increase their ability to practice compassion with just a little bit of awareness and effort.

~*~

   For more in-depth discussions on compassion, go to: www.CompassionSpace.com.