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Building Bridges across Species: Empathy, Prosociality, and Ecosocial Education

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Title: Building Bridges across Species: Empathy, Prosociality, and Ecosocial Education
Language: English
Authors: Sami Keto (ORCID 0000-0002-6055-190X)
Source: Environmental Education Research. 2026 32(1):124-148.
Availability: Routledge. Available from: Taylor & Francis, Ltd. 530 Walnut Street Suite 850, Philadelphia, PA 19106. Tel: 800-354-1420; Tel: 215-625-8900; Fax: 215-207-0050; Web site: http://www.tandf.co.uk/journals
Peer Reviewed: Y
Page Count: 25
Publication Date: 2026
Document Type: Journal Articles
Reports - Descriptive
Descriptors: Empathy, Prosocial Behavior, Animals, Animal Behavior, Plants (Botany), Interaction, Ecology, Relationship
DOI: 10.1080/13504622.2025.2538771
ISSN: 1350-4622
1469-5871
Abstract: Empathy, the ability to recognize and resonate with the experiences of others, is essential for prosocial behaviors and moral agency. It's an evolved ability, which can also be cultivated through education. Empathy is a strong predictor of pro-environmental attitudes and action, indicating its role in multispecies prosociality. In this theoretical article, I focus on the interspecies and epistemic dimensions of empathy. Founded on Edith Stein's phenomenological understanding and recent socio-neurological research of empathy, I categorize empathy into two layers: perceptual and imaginative empathy. These layers have advantages and limitations in terms of multispecies prosociality. Finally, I address the role of empathy across species in ecosocial education and suggest potential pedagogical methods to cultivate interspecies empathy and multispecies prosociality.
Abstractor: As Provided
Entry Date: 2026
Accession Number: EJ1503157
Database: ERIC
FullText Text:
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  Data: Building Bridges across Species: Empathy, Prosociality, and Ecosocial Education
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Sami+Keto%22">Sami Keto</searchLink> (ORCID <externalLink term="https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6055-190X">0000-0002-6055-190X</externalLink>)
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="SO" term="%22Environmental+Education+Research%22"><i>Environmental Education Research</i></searchLink>. 2026 32(1):124-148.
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  Data: Routledge. Available from: Taylor & Francis, Ltd. 530 Walnut Street Suite 850, Philadelphia, PA 19106. Tel: 800-354-1420; Tel: 215-625-8900; Fax: 215-207-0050; Web site: http://www.tandf.co.uk/journals
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Empathy%22">Empathy</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Prosocial+Behavior%22">Prosocial Behavior</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Animals%22">Animals</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Animal+Behavior%22">Animal Behavior</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Plants+%28Botany%29%22">Plants (Botany)</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Interaction%22">Interaction</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Ecology%22">Ecology</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Relationship%22">Relationship</searchLink>
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  Data: Empathy, the ability to recognize and resonate with the experiences of others, is essential for prosocial behaviors and moral agency. It's an evolved ability, which can also be cultivated through education. Empathy is a strong predictor of pro-environmental attitudes and action, indicating its role in multispecies prosociality. In this theoretical article, I focus on the interspecies and epistemic dimensions of empathy. Founded on Edith Stein's phenomenological understanding and recent socio-neurological research of empathy, I categorize empathy into two layers: perceptual and imaginative empathy. These layers have advantages and limitations in terms of multispecies prosociality. Finally, I address the role of empathy across species in ecosocial education and suggest potential pedagogical methods to cultivate interspecies empathy and multispecies prosociality.
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      – SubjectFull: Animals
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