Join Our Human Rights Empathy Education Collective

Democracy makes no sense if we care for no one but ourselves.

Welcome. We care about you. Here’s how.

The science from Dr. George Lakoff is clear: People with healthy human brains are morally complex and cognitively biased toward biconceptualism. Biconceptualism is how we live some parts of our lives unconsciously applying the core values of non-hierarchial nurturing parent-family progressives (empathy, responsibility, and commitment) and other parts unconsciously applying the core values of hierarchical strict father-family conservatism (authoritarianism, obedience, and punishment).

We want to know what’s important to our members and their organizations. We then collectively help each other apply the cognitive science and linguistics of Dr. Lakoff and others to frame our individual passions and organizational missions around a shared progressive vision to strengthen our progressive biases. We seek lifelong partnerships to make empathy central to constant public discourse on our human rights issues.

Join other human rights advocates for empathic progressivism to prevent cruelty.

We are a non-partisan, 501c3 membership-driven, science-based, human rights communication education collective. We seek a diverse membership focused on seven caring society institutions: media, arts and entertainment, education, nurturing families, effective government, progressive religions, and ethical businesses.

Our duty to care for each other’s freedom requires empathy, the soul of democracy.

The duty to care for each other’s freedom has been a legal concept in English law since 1760. Conservatism has limited the duty to care, and fascism has ignored care altogether since their terms were coined.  The United Nations defeated fascism when World War II ended in 1945. Take 1-minute to listen to former First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt, who chaired the international committee of the United Nations from 1945 to 1948 that defined human rights. She is reading the Proclamation from the Preamble of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR). Notice how it obliges “every individual and every organ of society” to learn about the UDHR and teach others about it using “progressive measures.” That requires a commitment to the legal concept of the duty to care. You can read the entire Preamble and all 30 of the UDHR at this link.

Individuals join membership-driven Empathy Surplus for $10/month.

Since all ideas are physical, they can be changed through language and experience. Strict-father conservatives are good at promoting conservatism, while nurturing-parent progressives must improve their promotion of progressivism. Donations are tax-deductible and help fund empathy promotions like billboards, human rights pocketbooks, empathy events, mailings, etc.

Membership dues of $10/mo are NOT tax-deductible. The benefits of membership include:

  • Voting rights for board trustees
  • Entrance to Empathy Surplus Zoom Forums (required of board trustees)
  • Voting rights to determine Empathy Surplus Zoom Forum study material
  • @empathysurplus.com email and access to our Google Workspace
  • An extension number to the Empathy Surplus phone number 833-672-8487
  • Find more benefits on our education webpage

Organizations join for $36/month.

Organizations may join at $36/mo, making four leaders eligible to participate as individual members. Organizational logos are eligible to be displayed on this website and other materials.

Our Mission – Making empathy central to constant public discourse on human rights issues.

We strive to be a progressive alternative to conservative organizations like ALEC. Download our bylaws.

Our Caring Model Legislation

 

who cares wins

Caring Thought Leaders Core Values

Empathy

the soul of democracy

Responsibility

both personal and social

Commitment

to govern with empathy and responsibility

Compassion USA Partner Since 2022

George Lakoff's Resources

The basic idea is this: Dr. Lakoff's resources are free and open to all. He will provide framing suggestions regularly over social media, and whoever receives them can decide how to use them, and whether to share them or retweet them.  Dr. Lakoff's process is bottom-up.

Dr. Lakoff also offers this framing service to activist organizations, media folks, and elected officials and their staff.

Pro-Empathy Pledge to the People of the World

(Recited while holding a neighbor's hand. People from other countries may insert the name of their country.)

I pledge my care to the people of the world

and to my neighbors in the United States of America

and to our human rights, which I defend and promote,

one world governed with empathy and responsibility,

with liberty and justice for all.

Empathy Surplus Network USA is a 501c3 local human rights empathy education community of practice that applies the latest brain insights of George Lakoff to moral and political discourse to protect human rights with the rule of law. To reverse our national empathy deficit, we invite you to join our culture diplomacy initiative to make empathy, the soul of democracy and ethical business, the center of public and private debate. Donations are exempt from federal income taxation under section 501(a) and described in section 501(c)3 of the Internal Revenue Code.

UNITED NATIONS GLOBAL compact resources

Pro-Empathy Freedom Declaration

I am a progressive -
caring human being
in a strong, diverse community
of nurturing families.
I am a pro-empathy voter and
govern with empathy for and
responsibility to others.
I here highly resolve that
this nation shall have
a new birth of freedom
- and that government
of the people,
by the people,
for the people
shall not perish
from the earth.
I am a person
with human rights.
I care for my own
Safety and Happiness
and that of others.
I am the solution to
expanding life, liberty,
and the pursuit of happiness.
And for the support of this
declaration, joining
progressive human rights
advocates and
pro-empathy voters,
we mutually pledge
to each other
our Lives, our Fortunes,
and our sacred Honor.

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