From Richard Mellish
The theories to explain the negative correlation between wealth and empathy that you described are plausible (21 April, p 52), but I would like to offer another possible causal connection.
People who care less about others are more likely to see life as a rat race, and more likely to push their way ahead. If they prosper, their children may inherit similar attitudes, whether by genetics, upbringing or a mixture of both. The result would be less empathy among the wealthy.
Harrow, Middlesex, UK
