Quote:Drich
but if not society who teach you empathy?
Empathy is innate. Although it can be nurtured and/or encouraged, it cannot be taught.
Quote:Drich
If your empathy is not being controlled by the pop culture then why is your reaction not the same? Why does propaganda deem it ok in one instance and immoral in another?
You kind of answered your own question, didn't you? My reactions in these situations are different, because the situations are different. In a scenario where ending a life is involved, there can be more than ONE question of morality to be taken into consideration and weighed. You're oversimplifying such scenarios by regarding certain opinions on them as simply 'going with flow', as opposed to acknowledging the existence of complex moral conflicts/ moral dilemmas.
Quote:Drich
So again my question then becomes if Pop culture controls your empathy (as in the case with Nazi Germany) what can you use to determine if the culture goes too far/turn evil?
I find the idea of "Pop culture"controlling my empathy quite ridiculous, but I'll answer your question: If the upper echelons of "Pop culture" somehow managed to develop technology capable of disabling my empathy chip, I suppose I'd have to rely on my memory of right and wrong to recognize evil. Don't even think about creating the additional caveat of having my mind/memory wiped in the next scenario .
In all seriousness, I understand how someone could feel as though the entire world had gone mad during the time of Nazi Germany, but the truth of the matter is that something also prompted scores of people to push back against Hiltler's regime by joining the Resistance, becoming spies, aiding Jews in escaping detection and capture, etc. All at tremendous personal risk to themselves and often their own families. Which do you think is more likely to be the primary motivating factor capable of inspiring such a response? Unquestionable adherence to a morality that's based off of the premise of obedience to a pre-determined set of rules, OR being able to identify with entire families set to be carted off, tortured, and exterminated, as fellow human beings?