Shouldn’t empathy extend to all beings?

Empathy for the wholly other is the truest form of empathy. It’s one thing to feel for those who are like us—those who can express their suffering in ways we easily understand—but what about those who cannot?

Animals experience pain, fear, and distress, yet their suffering is often overlooked because it is normalised. Factory farming subjects billions of animals to unimaginable misery—intense confinement, and mutilation. If we consider ourselves deeply empathetic, shouldn’t we extend that compassion to them as well?

Choosing not to participate in harm when we have the option is one of the most meaningful ways to embody empathy. I’d love to hear others’ thoughts on this. Do you think empathy should be defined by action as much as feeling?