Is there such a thing as having too much empathy? That’s a theory gaining the support of some of the world’s richest people following the release of a new book by Gad Saad, a Canadian marketing professor and frequent critic of liberal policies.
“A society dies when it cares more about exhibiting infinite tolerance and empathy than invoking its survival instinct,” Saad argues in his book, Suicidal Empathy: Dying To Be Kind. Saad’s ideas have drawn frequent praise from prominent billionaires Bill Ackman and Elon Musk, who said suicidal empathy will “end civilization.”
The term is also linked to preserving Western civilization in particular, which Saad describes in his book as “in rapid decline”: from open-border immigration policies under Biden and Trudeau, to DEI training, soft-on-crime policies, transgender activism, and Canada’s universal healthcare system.
What exactly is suicidal empathy?
In Saad’s book, empathy becomes suicidal when it’s “misguided.” He argues this is especially true among people who subscribe to progressive liberal ideologies and tend to show kindness to foreigners rather than to their own citizens.
He makes it clear that he is not against empathy in general.
“I’m not saying that empathy is bad. Empathy is actually a very important virtue to have,” Saad said on a recent appearance on Joe Rogan’s podcast. “The problem with empathy, like most things in life, is if there’s too little or too much of it.”
Saad did not study suicidal empathy from a social psychological perspective, explaining that the academic literature on empathy “draws some fine distinctions that are unnecessary for our current treatment.” Instead, he used anecdotal examples to argue that suicidal empathy is perpetuated by the Western ruling class, who believe the West is guilty of racism and colonialism.
“By recognizing their supposed existential privilege and thus destroying it from within, they can seek penance for their ‘unearned’ advantage,” Saad writes.
Saad writes that women are particularly susceptible to suicidal empathy, a tendency he claims could lead to men who try to protect women from harm being labeled “sexist” or “sufferers of toxic masculinity.”
He also dedicates a large portion of the book to immigration-friendly policies in the U.S., Canada, and Europe, particularly those welcoming to Muslim immigrants, as prime examples of suicidal empathy. He cites several criminal cases in the U.K. in which Muslim suspects exploited young white girls, talking points that have been circulating among prominent conservative figures pushing for stricter immigration measures.
“To the West, I say, be proud of your heritage, and defend it at all costs from its avowed enemies,” Saad said.
What is his solution to suicidal empathy?
According to Saad, the West should actively reject “empathy-based dopamine hit[s]” and stop being “empathetic fence sitters.”
“There is nothing more existentially empathetic than the dogged defense of the truth,” Saad writes.
Saad also argues that people should start demanding reciprocity rather than asking for nothing in return, citing foreign aid that the U.S. and Canadian governments send to African countries as an example of suicidal empathy.
He also praises Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) for eliminating “a breathtaking amount of corruption, waste, and fraud.”
TIME has reached out to Saad for comment.
Elon Musk and other billionaires support the theory
The term “suicidal empathy” has been gaining traction on the American right, and among billionaires like Elon Musk, Marc Andreessen, and Bill Ackman. Musk, in particular, has been a longtime supporter of Saad’s ideas. In March 2024, months before Musk launched the America Super PAC and publicly endorsed Trump, Saad said on Piers Morgan’s show that he and Musk were “good friends” who chatted regularly.
On X, Musk has repeatedly reposted and agreed with Saad’s idea of suicidal empathy. He has also weighed in on the kind of empathy needed in society. In an October 2024 interview with Tucker Carlson, Musk introduced the concepts of “shallow empathy” and “deep empathy.”
“What I see is what I call shallow empathy. People have empathy for the criminals, but not empathy for the victims of the criminals, ” Musk said. “I believe one should have deep empathy and ask, what is the greater good for society?”
As the former head of DOGE, Musk significantly cut back on foreign aid programs and initiatives while also laying off hundreds of FEMA workers who had assisted with disaster relief and natural-catastrophe preparedness in the U.S., leaving the federal government hobbled in its ability to respond to humanitarian crises both at home and abroad.
Who is Gad Saad?
Saad is a Jewish immigrant born in Lebanon who emigrated to Canada as a child. As a marketing professor at Concordia University, he holds a master’s degree in management and a doctorate in marketing from Cornell University.
In 2020, Saad began attracting attention from right-wing media by departing from his specialty in evolutionary psychology and releasing The Parasitic Mind, a book that argues that certain “harmful ideas,” such as cancel culture and political correctness, spread through society like parasites, and that a healthy society should allow open debate on ideas.
As a frequent guest at conservative outlets, Saad has also spoken at length about how his concept applies to broader cultural issues that right-wing personalities focus on, including what he sees as an assault on masculinity and the rise of antisemitism following the October 7 Hamas attack on Israel.
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