Suicidal Empathy: Dying to Be Kind

by Gad Saad

The bestselling author of The Parasitic Mind shows why empathy in politics leads to civilizational collapse. What happens when a society elevates victimhood to a virtue and decides that punishment is cruel? You get the disease Dr. Gad Saad calls suicidal empathy. And the West may be terminally infected. In his new book, Suicidal Empathy, Saad unleashes a blistering critique of maladaptively irrational altruism that has gripped our culture. This mind parasite hijacked the empathy module of our progressive elite, leading to a catastrophic miscalibration of moral priorities. The results are from coddling violent criminals to protecting rapists to branding self-defense as toxic behavior. We are witnessing a civilization in rapid decline. Lunatic policies are instituted because we prioritize the feelings of ostensibly marginalized groups over The Truth, criminals over victims, and squatters over homeowners. This is not humane; it’s an active dismantling of the pillars that keep us safe and free. This crisis of empathy creates a horrifying system of inverse morality where the strong and successful are demonized, and the destructive are celebrated. Just look at the insane inversions we tolerate we prefer illegal migrants over our own legal citizens and veterans, permit drug addicts to threaten children’s safety in parks, and elevate transgender 'women' above biological women in sports and safe spaces. Common sense is dying in a deluge of misguided compassion. Suicidal Empathy is your wake-up call. Stop ignoring your survival instincts in the name of political correctness. This isn't just misguided policy; it is the ultimate expression of a culture actively choosing its own demise.

Genres: Nonfiction, Politics, Psychology, Philosophy, Sociology, History, Audiobook

1 pages, Audio CD

Published May 12, 2026

About the author

Dr. Gad Saad is Professor of Marketing, holder of the Concordia University Research Chair in Evolutionary Behavioral Sciences and Darwinian Consumption, and advisory fellow at the Center for Inquiry. He was an Associate Editor of Evolutionary Psychology (2012-2015) and of Customer Needs and Solutions (2014- ). He has held Visiting Associate Professorships at Cornell University, Dartmouth College, and the University of California-Irvine. Dr. Saad was inducted into the Who’s Who of Canadian Business in 2002. He was listed as one of the “hot” professors of Concordia University in both the 2001 and 2002 Maclean’s reports on Canadian universities. Dr. Saad received the JMSB Faculty’s Distinguished Teaching Award in June 2000. He is the recipient of the 2014 Darwinism Applied Award granted by the Applied Evolutionary Psychology Society and co-recipient of the 2015 President's Media Outreach Award-Research Communicator (International). His research and teaching interests include evolutionary psychology, consumer behavior, and psychology of decision making.

Professor Saad’s trade book, The Consuming Instinct: What Juicy Burgers, Ferraris, Pornography, and Gift Giving Reveal About Human Nature (Prometheus Books), was released in June 2011, and has since been translated to Korean and Turkish. His 2007 book, The Evolutionary Bases of Consumption (Lawrence Erlbaum) is the first academic book to demonstrate the Darwinian roots of a wide range of consumption phenomena. His edited book, Evolutionary Psychology in the Business Sciences, was also released in 2011 (Springer), as was his special issue on the futures of evolutionary psychology published in Futures (Elsevier).

He has over 75 scientific publications covering a wide range of disciplines including in marketing, consumer behavior, psychology, economics, evolutionary theory, medicine, and bibliometrics. A sample of outlets wherein his publications have appeared include Journal of Marketing Research; Journal of Consumer Psychology; Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes; Journal of Behavioral Decision Making; Evolution and Human Behavior; Journal of Neuroscience, Psychology, and Economics; Marketing Theory; Journal of Social Psychology; Personality and Individual Differences; Managerial and Decision Economics; Journal of Bioeconomics; Applied Economics Letters; Journal of Business Research; Canadian Journal of Administrative Sciences; Psychology & Marketing; Journal of Consumer Marketing; Medical Hypotheses; Scientometrics; and Futures. His work has been presented at 170 leading academic conferences, research centers, and universities around the world.

Dr. Saad has supervised or served on the committee of numerous Master’s and Doctoral students, as well as one post-doc. He has been awarded several research grants (both internal as well as governmental). Using his own grant money, he created an in-house behavioral marketing lab. He serves/has served on numerous editorial boards including Journal of Marketing Research; Journal of Consumer Psychology; Psychology & Marketing; Journal of Business Research; Journal of Social Psychology; Evolutionary Psychology; Open Behavioral Science Journal; Journal of Neuroscience, Psychology, and Economics; Journal of Social, Evolutionary, and Cultural Psychology/Evolutionary Behavioral Sciences; The Evolutionary Review; and Frontiers of Evolutionary Psychology; and is an associate member of Behavioral and Brain Sciences. He has consulted for numerous firms, and his work has been featured in close to 500 media outlets including on television, radio, newspapers, magazines, and blogs. He has been designated Concordia's Newsmaker of the Week five years in a row (2011-2015).

Dr. Saad holds a PhD (Major: Marketing; Minors in Cognitive Studies and Statistics) and an MS from Cornell University, and an MBA (Specialization: Marketing; Mini-Thesis: Operations Research) and a BSc (Mathematics and Computer Science) both from McGill Uni

Reviews

[Jay Cresva · Rating 5 out of 5]

Extremely potent, high-octane rage fuel.
Orgiastically cathartic.
Chilling.
Sure to be hated by 1) White liberal women 2) Radical Islamists


They are coming, and they will conquer the west through the wombs of your women and you might just offer them up in fears of being labelled a racist.


This is an extremely difficult read/listen. Not because it's complicated, filled with difficult academic jargon, but because of the subject matter it covers. It's filled with sarcasm and dry humor, reads like pop-psychology book, sure, but you can't laugh because it's no laughing matter. Each example of suicidal empathy and how it manifests itself hits you like whip on raw flesh; each lash enrages you.

Probably not for everyone. White liberal women won't touch this book because they will never be open minded enough. Radical Islamists won't touch this book, this is written by a Jew, it's more haram than a slab of delicious bacon, surely. Leaving Gad preaching to the choir, a Saad truth.

As a person who was born in an 'religion of peace'-country, but as a Christian, I cry for the west and the cancer it self-inflicted with. it starts with a self-assuring vowel, but ends with (almost) government sanctioned jew hunts (synagogue shootings, with slap-on-the-wrist punishments), grooming of the young (Pakistani grooming gangs, grooming white young girls in UK), and rape of innocents (rape of Europeans, they are 'Kaffir' and thus literal f-holes).
It is societal cancer, and always comes as stage IV, there is no 'moderate' or stage I, II, III..it skips all stage to stage Iv terminal cancer; they forever complicit, never condemning crimes committed in the names of their God, all participating in destruction of the host..which are mainly western Christian nations (is that odd?).



The most pathological thing about suicidal empathy for these people are pathological acceptance of their own cognitive dissonance; even rape victim starts to defend their rapists, in this bizarre, twilight-zone of a dimension where suicidal altruism is the religion.
One example that stuck with me, and will probably forever haunt me is BLM advocate in an African country getting raped repeatedly in a balcony, while she tries to convince her rapist that she's a specialist in Malcolm X and the black struggle, only to be slapped as he enters her repeatedly. She then blames the rape as the fault of white colonization instead, saying she's glad to have had this experience.

It's nothing short of being infected with those parasitic brain-eating Ophiocordyceps fungi that hijack the nervous systems of insects, primarily ants, forcing them to behave like zombies to spread spores to spread more of themselves.

The book goes into detail of how suicidal empathy normalizes crime, radicalism, over-taxation, with examples from all corners of the world. Canada and Justin Trudeau gets special mentions because Canada is a literal example of what suicidal empathy does to a nation. Only in Canada you find these:



In a suicidal empathetic Canada - it is totally normal to offer kids pamphlets on how to snort crack cocaine..

This book does not really offer any hope, because there probably aren't any for the west. It is dying a slow, sure death.

[Eri Bastos · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another great book from Gad Saad.

Following him on X gave me a pretty good idea of what to expect, and I was not disappointed. The book is full of real-life examples, many of them recent enough to still be fresh in my memory.

As an immigrant to Canada, like the author, I found parts of the book painful to read. Not because I disagreed with him, but because I kept nodding along as he described the civilizationally suicidal path our country seems determined to follow.

The delusions currently gripping Western society are already producing disastrous consequences. I will leave the reader to go through the book and draw their own conclusions.

My only frustration is that, like his previous book and others with similar warnings, it sometimes feels like preaching to the choir. The people who most need to read this book are almost certainly the least likely to pick it up.

[༺ Jason ༻ · Rating 1 out of 5]

As an independent thinker and voter I’m proud to live in a country of free speech. That noted this book should be called When it’s ok to Hate because it’s full of rubbish.

[Monique Prins]

DNF.

I actually agree with much of the book's central thesis. The idea that empathy can become detached from reason and consequences is a serious and worthwhile topic. In fact, it is one that liberals and progressives should engage with more honestly.

My frustration was that the book seemed less interested in exploring a universal human tendency than in prosecuting a case against one side of the political spectrum. The argument increasingly felt predetermined: progressive excesses were presented as evidence of civilizational decline, while the shortcomings of the political right received comparatively little scrutiny.

That is a shame, because there is a genuinely important conversation to be had here. Empathy can mislead us. Good intentions do not guarantee good outcomes. But tribalism, nationalism, authoritarianism, and ideological loyalty can be just as distorting.

For readers interested in the underlying question, I found myself wishing I was reading a broader and more psychologically grounded exploration of the topic rather than a culture-war polemic. The core idea is compelling; the framing ultimately wasn't for me.

[Ravi Warrier · Rating 1 out of 5]

I didn't really like the book, as it felt more like a political polemic than the clear academic argument I expected from a scholar. While the author makes a few interesting points about how a noble virtue like empathy can be "maladaptively hyperactive" and lead to self-destructive outcomes, these insights are often buried under a series of visceral rants.

My main issue with the book is the imprecise and overly broad and convenient definition of empathy. The author explicitly chooses to use terms like **empathy, compassion, and sympathy interchangeably**, which leads to a confusing argument. He treats general human optimism, fairness, and the desire to "turn the other cheek" as forms of "suicidal empathy," which I simply don't agree with.

Furthermore, as an academician, I found the tone disappointing. Instead of a rigorous inquiry, the book often serves as a channel for the author to air personal grievances and political biases.

The narrative is heavily saturated with right-leaning political bashing and a specifically anti-Islamic narrative. While the author uses his personal history as a Lebanese Jew to frame his worldview, the constant focus on atrocities against Jews and "left-bashing" makes the book feel like an ideological manifesto.

I believe a much stronger case could have been made against the dangers of hyper-empathy without bringing this heavy mix of politics and religion into the argument. Ultimately, the book's lack of focus and aggressive tone overshadowed its potentially interesting core concept.

It's a 1-star book because of the bitterness it leaves in my mind.

[Matthías Páll · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great book on important topics, especially that we must not stop at naive first-order thinking, but dive into the knock-on effect of every decision.

Written in an academic and sarcastic style, this book had me laughing out loud at times. Recommended to anyone interested in how crazy the zeitgeist has become.

[Bill Powers · Rating 4 out of 5]

• The tsunami of empathetic insanity is drowning the West.

• The DIE cult has taken over academia along with countless other industries, all of which should be strictly guided by meritocracy (e.g., surgeons or airplane pilots).

• Franklin D. Roosevelt’s New Deal, which laid the groundwork for the American welfare state, and Joseph Stalin’s Soviet propaganda both relied heavily on mass empathy appeals. How ironic that the two great adversaries of the eventual Cold War each recognized the effectiveness of empathy-based appeals to justify their respective societal visions.

• “Sharing is caring” is a very nice motto when you are in grade one, but it is less so when more than 50 percent of your earnings are taxed by the socialist welfare state.

• Given that women score higher on empathy than men, they are more likely to prefer socialism over capitalism,

• Taxation is theft, purely and simply, even though it is theft on a grand and colossal scale which no acknowledged criminals could hope to match. It is a compulsory seizure of the property of the State’s inhabitants or subjects.

• Canada went from first levying income tax in 1917 as a temporary measure to more than a century later, stealing more than 50 percent of your income (once all taxes are combined). It is all justified under the banner of being an empathetic citizen.

• If the mafia extorts 3 percent of your revenue to provide you with some much-needed neighborhood protection, this is illegal. If your government empathetically takes more than 60 percent of your income, this is legal. Once the insatiable taxation apparatus is unleashed, the parasitic gluttony only worsens. The United States income tax code grew from 27 pages when it was first enacted in 1913 to 17,427 pages as of April 2024; furthermore, the opportunity and out-of-pocket costs of complying with the tax system in the United States in 2024 were estimated at $414 billion. How do we go from an income tax of 0 percent to one greater than 50 percent and from a tax code that expands from 27 to 17,427 pages?

• Suicidally empathetic socialists would love to see Elon Musk taxed at a nearly 100 percent rate, as he is apparently “unfairly” wealthy when other Americans must rely on food stamps to survive. These same folks fail to realize that Musk’s companies have injected $338+ billion into the US economy over the past five years alone, stemming from $110.7 billion in salaries, $46 billion in taxes levied, and $182.2 billion in procurement. Musk’s ability to generate and allocate capital is astoundingly greater than would be the case of a “caring and empathetic” centralized government agency.

Dr. Sad has done an excellent job in describing the current state of Western civilization with regard to suicidal empathy. It is hard to see how we have fallen so far, so fast, and even harder to see how we will dig ourselves out of this hole!

I highly recommend Suicidal Epapthy: Dying to be Kind. It’s a book we should all read.

[Wesley · Rating 5 out of 5]

There is not just suicidal empathy but homicidal empathy in the healthcare field. The belief that certain patients can’t handle a loving and truthful guidance leads providers to not help people live healthier and longer lives.

[Jack · Rating 4 out of 5]

really great picture of where we are and where we’re headed

Lots of good stuff in this book I recommend it highly. I have two caveats. First , don’t get the audiobook. Saad isn’t the best reader. His pacing is off and he uses accented pronunciation when he says words based on other languages. It’s like AOC unsung Spanish phrasing. Second, be prepared for academic speak. Saad writes like an academic. He uses language that only an academic would use. It takes attention away from the real point of the book. I’ll bet he said deontological a hundred times. I mean, who really says that. Nonetheless, the book is a warning. We need to scale back our empathetic or we will be conquered.

[Maher Razouk · Rating 5 out of 5]

في فيلم "صمت الحملان" تجسد جودي فوستر دور متدربة في مكتب التحقيقات الفيدرالي (FBI)، حيث تطلب العون من طبيب نفسي وسجين في آن واحد، وهو القاتل المتسلسل الشهير الدكتور هانيبال ليكتر (أداء أنتوني هوبكنز)، وذلك لتعقب قاتل متسلسل آخر طليق يُدعى "بافالو بيل" (أداء تيد ليفين).
وفي أحد أكثر مشاهد الفيلم رسوخاً في الذاكرة، يختطف "بافالو بيل" امرأة بعد التظاهر بأنه يعاني من إعاقة حركية بسبب جبيرة في ذراعه، مدعياً حاجته للمساعدة في رفع أريكة إلى شاحنته. نجح القاتل في ذلك من خلال العزف على أوتار التعاطف لدى ضحيته المستهدفة، رغم أن غريزة البقاء لديها كانت تهمس لها بأن ثمة أمراً مريباً. هذه الحيلة تحديداً—استغلال التعاطف—كان يعتمد عليها القاتل المتسلسل الحقيقي "تيد بندي" لاستدراج النساء إلى سيارته؛ فالشخصيات السيكوباتية تدرك تماماً كيف تطوع هذا الانحراف في منظومة التعاطف البشري لمصالحها.

وبناءً عليه، وبدلاً من المقولة الشائعة "القتل بلطف"، فإن السيكوباتيين الساديين "يقتلون عبر اللطف"، مستغلين نزعتنا الفطرية نحو التعاطف كسلاح ضدنا.
وفي هذا السياق، يشير عالمَا الأنثروبولوجيا الدنماركيان "نيلز بوباندت" و"راني ويلرسليف" إلى أن للتعاطف وجهاً آخر بائساً وأكثر قتامة: "إن التوجه السائد في الدراسات الأكاديمية للتعاطف بمختلف تخصصاتها كان—ولا يزال—ينظر إليه ليس كملكة بشرية فحسب، بل كفضيلة إنسانية أيضاً. ونتيجة لذلك، جرى تأطيره باعتباره قيمة خيرية مطلقة ترتبط بالرعاية، والإيثار، والروابط الاجتماعية، كونه النقيض التام للخداع والعدوان والنزاع. بيد أن هذا الافتراض يغفل تماماً تلك الجوانب من الحياة الاجتماعية التي يتشابك فيها التعاطف مع الخداع والعنف، بل ويتحول فيها أحياناً إلى ركيزة أساسية لهما".
والجدير بالذكر أن البشر ليسوا الكائنات الوحيدة التي تقع في حبائل الخطر بسبب تعاطفها؛ فحيتان العنبر مثلاً، عندما تحاول حماية فرد مصاب من قطيعها، تتخذ تشكيلاً دفاعياً دائرياً يُعرف بـ "تشكيل مارجريت"، وهو ما يسهل على صيادي الحيتان محاصرة القطيع بأكمله وإبادته. وهكذا، يُستغل تعاطف الحيتان الفطري ليكون سبب حتفها.
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Gad Saad
Suicidal Empathy
Translated By #Maher_Razouk

[E Q · Rating 1 out of 5]

Should instead be titled "Why Woke Is Bad For Jews: A Disorganized Collection Of My Angry Rants". Would recommend reading Toxic Empathy instead as it gives examples and stays on topic.

[Becky · Rating 1 out of 5]

Nope. A tract against understanding, empathy, and decency. This attempts to justify genocide among other things in the name of 'saving' the West specifically. Feels like a piece of IDF propaganda for the most part. Rather foul to be honest. I genuinely feel that Rawls' theory of a veil of ignorance should be most studied and better understood for the good of humanity.

[Nate · Rating 3 out of 5]

Western society has become a victim of its own success. Like previous societies through history it is crumbling from within, not only because of overconfident, under qualified leadership but also because we’ve been safe for so long that we no longer believe danger exists.
Desperate to atone for past transgressions some care more about their being perceived as welcoming, (read not racist) than the safety of the people in their own country.

I don’t disagree with the points he makes in the book, my only qualm is that his attempts at humour come off bitter and snarky rather than funny and sometimes pulled me out of the rather serious subject matter. I’d rather have him leave the jokes to someone else, otherwise well done.

[Gregory Ryman · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this read, which offered us a look at some of the specific elements that seem to be unravelling our society, and making a huge number of people extremely (and probably unnecessarily) unhappy.

Now I know GS is a professional, but I kind of feel like it was a missed opportunity for him to not include his views on some of the contributing sources for this phenomenon. I have a hard time believing that this woke virus is some sort of airborne contagion that you can avoid with an N95 mask. Hmmm. Actually... nah, never mind. Anyway, something or someone had to be pushing this, and blaming social and mainstream media is a little too general.

Even if he might not want to point a finger at anyone specific, I just thought he might suggested some 'required reading' to point us to some specific evidence that would help us draw our own conclusions on what not to consume.

Anyway, always interesting to see how the human mind functions and malfunctions. And it's always nice to have a fellow Canadian doing the right thing. Well done GS.

[Andy · Rating 1 out of 5]

Rhetoric over evidence that reads like a compilation of threads written by a bot on 'x'.

As Musk endorsed it I should've gone with my gut and not bothered at all. It was humorous and entertaining, in that it was so incredibly predictable.

A book for the subservient seeking validation from their masters. No-one plays the victim like those who hold all the money, influence and power. Scared that the playing field may become a bit more equal and are seeking deflections and parlour tricks to hide what's really going on.

[Carolyn Kost · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thesis: “A society dies when it cares more about exhibiting infinite tolerance and empathy than invoking its survival instinct. It truly is that simple.” “Suicidal empathy is a deadly contagion of one of our most noble virtues. If not properly contained, it will destroy the West."

Every virtue becomes vice when taken to excess. Compassion without prudence is sentimentality.

Despite agreeing with Saad’s thesis, I felt the experience of reading the book was dirty somehow, like reading a tabloid, rather than edifying. The accumulation of examples creates emotional exhaustion, doomscrolling through cultural decline. The experience was less like reading scholarship than consuming an endless feed of outrage.

The title "Suicidal empathy" is likely to outlast the book because the concept is memorable. Evolutionary psychologist and Lebanese Jewish refugee Gad Saad’s thesis is that compassion and empathy divorced from prudence, reciprocity, and long-term thinking is harmful on macro and micro levels. Islam is a particular focus: "More than thirty years ago, the political scientist Samuel P. Huntington explained that Islam is always in conflict with its neighbors, and this continues to be true today based on an analysis of the world’s war zones. It is empathetic to reject this falsehood. Moral people take positions on consequential matters."

Appearing in the preface, this is an effective summary sans the innumerable tiresome, salacious examples:

I begin with an overview of empathy and then lay out the theoretical and evolutionary mechanisms that correspond to its misfiring. I then delve into how the erecting of forbidden knowledge (e.g., race differences in criminality) and the rejection of reality (e.g., transwomen are women too) serve as forms of epistemological empathy. If the truth lacks empathy, reject it! The remainder of the book explores suicidal empathy across a broad range of cases at the domestic and foreign levels....I highlight how the disastrous open-door immigration policies of the West are rooted in a form of suicidal empathy, wherein it is presumed that all potential immigrants are equally likely to assimilate (and even more so if they are from Islamic societies).

[NOTE: SEE my review of The Invisible Coup, which deals with the political motivations for this issue]

The West’s lack of a cultural theory of mind is destroying our societies. In addition to being infinitely kind to poorly vetted migrants, suicidal empathy can cause people to care more about rapists and other felons than their victims. Viewed from this perspective, the criminals are the real victims of society. They are blank slate felons, born noble and perfect, only to be corrupted by our evil social order....I then argue that the elevating of the diversity, inclusion, and equity cult over the ethos of meritocracy is a means of exhibiting (misguided) empathy toward so-called marginalized
groups, a form of selling indulgences to expatiate one’s [“Dermatological Original Sin"] and existential civilizational sins. I then demonstrate that communism, socialism, and the welfare and nanny states are rooted in various forms of suicidal empathy. I conclude by offering a vaccine of sorts to inoculate oneself from the existential threats of suicidal empathy.

The discussion of delayed gratification and immediate empathetic reward (neurologically, a dopamine hit), is one of the book's most interesting ideas, beside "cultural theory of mind," the extent to which “members of one culture [are or are not] capable of accurately inferring the thoughts and feelings of members of a distinct other culture to arrive at meaningful cross-cultural interactions.” The contemporary assumption is that we all share the same values when we do not. People in power in the USA, Canada, and Europe erroneously and baselessly assume and ascribe certain cultural characteristics to the Other, newcomers and other socioeconomic quintiles and groups that they do not have. What is it that distinguishes healthy compassion from exploitation? Reciprocity.

The final chapter contains the book's most valuable insights:
"Resist the Immediate Gratification of the Empathy Based Dopamine Hit and Avoid the Empathetic Myopia of First-Order Effects["That this might lead to the destruction of your society downstream is immaterial because the much-desired empathy dopamine hit happens now];

Do Not Succumb to the Singular Exemplar Bias—Statistical Regularities Matter [i.e., a few exceptions don't contradict statistics];

Do Not Succumb to the False Equality Bias [i.e., all people and all cultures are not equal];

Reject the Urge to Be an Empathetic Fence-Sitter [i.e., truth exists; defend it at all costs];

Expect and Demand Reciprocity—Otherwise, You Are in a Parasitic Relationship;
Choose the Targets of Your Empathy Wisely ["...our empathy system has evolved to be preferentially focused on evolutionarily important relationships {e.g., kin}. Suicidal empathy shatters this reality by altering the order of importance to whom one should most care for.];

Adaptive Empathy Is Noble—Suicidal Empathy Is Fatal [ "Empathy is an evolutionarily selected virtue, which, when properly deployed, serves as a reminder that human beings are a social species capable of immeasurable good. But never forget that it must be invoked at the right time, in the right amount, and to the right targets. Otherwise, it becomes a liability that is gamed by those who wish to destroy us.." ]
___________
The book could have been an effective as an expanded long-form essay rather than a book. Although only 166 pages of text, it feels much longer because it's an extended polemic with the horrifying examples and an abundance of sarcasm, and snark, a tone that narrows the audience to readers already inclined to agree. I expected a more erudite treatment, deeper engagement with opposing arguments, more synthesis and fewer examples. For these reasons, the book is unlikely to persuade readers who do not already share Saad's diagnosis. It functions more as confirmation than conversion.

On the one hand, Saad urges the acceptance of empirical evidence, but postmodernists reject overwhelming statistical realities; they consider it “falsified” by a singular example and "vivid anecdotes." On the other, he persuades largely through stories, presumably because stories persuade people more effectively than statistics. Still, the very psychology he criticizes may explain his rhetorical choices. His method of persuasion reflects the cognitive tendencies he warns against in policymaking.

One reason Suicidal Empathy resonated with me is that I recognized some of myself in it. For years, as a person of faith in the Judeo-Christian tradition, I assumed that more empathy and self-sacrifice were always better. It took me a very long time (and hubby's repeated reminders) to learn that compassion without discernment is not always a virtue. "Cast not your pearls before swine" (Matthew 7:6) is an admonition to be prudent about where charity will bear fruit.

[Josh McQueen · Rating 3 out of 5]

When I purchased this book, I was hoping for something more academic. Gad Saad has ideas that merit further consideration, however, it always feels as though there is something more that should be said. I am not advocating for the book to solely become statistics, as Saad’s personal stories were interesting, but the use of statistics and an quantitative examination of the aftermath of the so called “suicidal empathy” would have greatly benefitted the different sections. Oftentimes, the ideas felt overshadowed by political comments that felt unnecessary. This also caused the book to feel less academic in nature. Overall, this book was fine, but felt more like a pop-political book rather than an academic investigation into society’s actions and their effects.

[Manolo González · Rating 4 out of 5]

Eventhough I Agrre with 95% of the things stated here and I truly believe there is a huge problem with the empatrhic way to see the reality of the world, I felt the book annoyingly repetitive, some jokes are hilarious, but others are just the same sarcasm in the whole book.

[Jeff Cherpeski · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent book. This just seems like common sense.

[Roni · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another excellent book where Dr. Saad tells it like it is; enjoyed the audiobook narrated by the author

[Trey Gilbert · Rating 3 out of 5]

I agree with his premise, but this was really an elongated essay.

[Leila · Rating 4 out of 5]

Scary, compelling and much of it surprisingly rings true. I agree on the taxation issue however I still think that no one needs to have over $1,000,000,000 so why not take everything over that threshold? But a lot of it is spot on and I was a progressive before 10/7…now I can see how in some ways I was brainwashed just as I thought the conservatives were brain washed. Although I still hate Trump…

[Brent Soderstrum · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book drips with sarcasm and truth. Those who need to read it will not. They consider themselves above this. White women, who are liberals, illegal immigrants, and Islamics are those who this book is written for. Sadly, they will refuse to read it.

Suicidal empathy is a disease that has infected many in the United States. Saad gives many examples that had me shaking my head. I would then think of other examples that are relevant in today's time.

There are many times when I shake my head, not believing that anyone could really think the way many in our time do. I live in fear of these people getting control of our country again. Four years of Biden nearly destroyed our nation. After the 2024 shellacking, I would have thought that they would come back to the middle. It appears they cannot overcome the suicidal empathy that they have been infected with. Instead of moderation, the woke freaks are becoming more so.

[Patsy Hancock · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Antidote to Civilizational Suicide
Gad Saad’s Suicidal Empathy is a brilliant, courageous, and urgently needed book. With his characteristic clarity and intellectual sharpness, Saad exposes one of the most dangerous trends of our time: the elevation of unchecked empathy and tolerance into sacred principles that override reason, evidence, and even basic self-preservation.

This is not just another culture-war polemic. It’s a deeply insightful diagnosis of how societies can literally talk themselves into decline by prioritizing performative compassion over survival instincts. Saad combines evolutionary psychology, real-world examples, and fearless analysis to show why this mindset is not virtuous — it’s suicidal.

What makes the book especially valuable is that Saad doesn’t stop at diagnosis — he also provides practical steps to protect yourself and resist the pull of suicidal empathy.

If you care about the future of Western civilization and want to understand the forces undermining it, read this book. It’s one of the most important works I’ve read in years. Highly recommended.

[shion · Rating 1 out of 5]

what i expected: interesting idea explored with research over time
what i got: strange libertarian misogynist reading his "argument" against DE&I (spoiler: mostly just his opinions and justifying his stance by saying he is an immigrant & Jewish)

[Jesse · Rating 4 out of 5]

Een aantal jaar terug zwoor ik zelfhulpboeken af. Niet omdat er nooit iets waardevols in staat, maar omdat ik merkte dat veel mensen ( en dan doel ik vooral op de schrijvers ) ze behandelen alsof ze een soort absolute Waarheid met de hoofdletter W bevatten. Dat geloof ik niet. Geen enkel boek bezit de Waarheid. Hooguit bevat het een perspectief dat je aan het denken zet.

Ik weet dat dit boek niet helemaal een zelfhulpboek is, maar ik las het wel een beetje op die manier. Niet als een handleiding voor hoe je moet leven, maar als een uitnodiging om empathie te onderzoeken.

Empathie is zo'n woord als sociaal, loyaal, tolerant of solidair. Woorden die bij veel mensen automatisch een positief gevoel oproepen. Vaak zijn we zo in de ban van dat positieve gevoel dat we soms vergeten dat er ook een keerzijde bestaat.

Laat ik vooropstellen dat ik empathie op persoonlijk niveau geen slechte eigenschap vind. Het vermogen om te begrijpen of aan te voelen wat iemand anders ervaart, maakt relaties mogelijk. Hierdoor kan je een goede vriend steunen of een relatie opbouwen.

Maar tijdens het lezen merkte ik dat het boek eigenlijk een andere vraag stelt.

Wat gebeurt er wanneer empathie niet langer iets is tussen twee mensen, maar een maatschappelijk principe wordt?
Daar begon het voor mij interessant te worden.

Misschien leef ik soms onder een steen, maar ik kwam voorbeelden tegen waarvan mijn broek afzakte. Dat er mensen zijn die echt bijzondere verwachtingen hebben van de wereld om hen heen en de maatschappij.
De schrijver noemt dat "Unicornia". Een soort denkbeeldige wereld waarin conflicten opgelost kunnen worden als we elkaar maar voldoende begrijpen. Waar begrip uiteindelijk belangrijker wordt dan de werkelijkheid zelf.

Misschien klinkt dit cynisch, maar ik heb nooit geloofd dat de wereld uitsluitend uit goede mensen of goede bedoelingen bestaat. Al op jonge leeftijd ontdekte ik dat het leven ook bestaat uit teleurstelling, conflict, verlies en soms simpelweg slechte intenties.

Dat betekent niet dat empathie waardeloos is. Integendeel. Maar ik denk wel dat empathie iets anders is dan waarheid. Ik probeer kleuters bijvoorbeeld al te leren dat iemand die huilt niet automatisch verdrietig hoeft te zijn. Mensen huilen uit boosheid, frustratie, opluchting, manipulatie of zelfs blijdschap. Een emotie waarnemen is niet hetzelfde als begrijpen wat er werkelijk gebeurt.

Misschien is dat waarom ik objectiviteit uiteindelijk betrouwbaarder vind dan puur gevoel. Niet omdat gevoelens onbelangrijk zijn, maar omdat ze slechts een deel van de werkelijkheid laten zien.

Wat ik soms lastig vind aan de voorbeelden in dit boek, is dat ze lijken uit te gaan van een wereld waarin iedereen uiteindelijk begrepen kan worden. (unicornia)
Maar hoe empathisch mensen ook zijn, er zal altijd iemand zijn die je niet begrijpt, niet mag of het fundamenteel met je oneens is. Dat is geen fout in de wereld; dat hoort bij het leven.

Misschien is dat ook waarom ik moeite heb met het idee dat begrip van anderen de oplossing zou zijn. Want als je goedkeuring van anderen nodig hebt om jezelf te kunnen zijn, dan leg je een deel van je identiteit buiten jezelf.
Volgens mij sla je dan een belangrijke stap over. Een deel van volwassen worden is accepteren dat niet iedereen je zal begrijpen. Niet iedereen zal je aardig vinden. Niet iedereen zal jouw keuzes goedkeuren.
En dat hoeft ook niet.

Anyway, dit doet me denken aan dat ik als kind bij mijn oma naar de wc ging en daar altijd een bordje zag hangen met een Franse tekst. Toen kon ik geen Frans, nu wel.

"Être tolérant ce n'est pas tolérer les intolérances des autres."

Tolerant zijn betekent niet dat je de intoleranties van anderen moet tolereren.

Misschien geldt hetzelfde voor empathie.
Begrip hebben voor iemand betekent niet dat je alles hoeft te accepteren. Misschien begint wijsheid juist bij het herkennen van die grens.

[Gijs Limonard · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent and well argued, well considered push back on the woke movement; Saad dissects the woke phenomenon with appropriate sarcasm for what it actually is; a sneaky form of identitarian totalitarianism; surrendering to the empathic impulse elicited by woke politics is giving in to this irrational crowd bent on pushing its own secular power grab agenda under the guise of a presumed unassailable expected respect and regard for 'identity'. On the subject be sure to check the highly enjoyable works of Andrew Doyle; Free Speech And Why It Matters, The New Puritans: How the Religion of Social Justice Captured the Western World and by his hilarious woke pseudo-author Titania McGrath; Woke: A Guide to Social Justice; in addition don't forget Douglas Murray; The Madness of Crowds: Gender, Race and Identity.

[Richard Tellefsen · Rating 5 out of 5]

The title alone is enough for some people to make up their minds before opening the cover. I'd encourage anyone who's curious or even skeptical to actually read it before deciding what they think. The strongest criticisms come from people who have engaged with the arguments, not just the title.
At its core, Saad argues that empathy is a virtue, but only when it's grounded in reality. Throughout the book, he presents data and statistical evidence to support his case that, in many areas of modern society, we're becoming more concerned with avoiding offense than confronting uncomfortable truths. His argument isn't that empathy is the problem it's that empathy without accountability or evidence can produce harmful outcomes.
You may not agree with every conclusion he reaches, and that's perfectly fair. But I appreciated that he builds his case with evidence rather than simply asking readers to accept his opinions. Whether you ultimately agree or disagree, the book challenges assumptions that many of us rarely stop to examine.
I understand not everyone will agree with the book or with my review and that's completely fine. But personal attacks, snarky comments, and other forms of childish dissent don't address the ideas being discussed. Engaging with the argument does.

[Joanne Hattersley · Rating 5 out of 5]

There are books that ask questions and there are some that make you think. There are books that make you reevaluate how you perceive something. This book is a combination of them all. It demands your attention. It’s not a gentle read; it is a book that needs your undivided attention. However, it will make you smile too.
The core of the book is that Western society has become so consumed by emotional thinking and performative compassion that it has started abandoning common sense, accountability, and logic. In his view, empathy without logic can become dangerous. It is a bold argument, and he delivers it with the confidence of a man who has had his fair share of controversy.
Saad writes with humour, sarcasm, and intelligence. He doesn’t sit on the fence. His opinions are blunt & to the point, well backed up with research. His observations are sharp and written in a way that makes even the most complicated of subjects easily readable for the average person.
The book is constant. There is no time to take a breath when you are reading and the battle is ongoing. If you’re looking for a calm and balanced discussion this book is not for you.
The book is opinionated. It’s confrontational. There are moments of deliberate provocation. But by the time you’re done, you will have plenty to think about.

[Andrew · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's a good book, showing some of the silly choices and convictions people make against their own best interests. Sadly, as some of them are dying they still will not give up the conviction, because they could be perceived poorly among their peers.

The people that need this book most, won't read it.
It has become a death cult of emotional or victimhood olympics to be perceived as the best. Even if it drags everyone down, you can go knowing you were the best at doing the supposed right thing.