What is Compassion, and How is it Lived in Daily Life?

Compassion

What is Compassion?

Defining Compassion

When you think of compassion, you might associate it with an emotional response, but the virtue is actually more complex. This short animated video considers several perspectives on compassion along with what it requires.

Tips: How to use this video in a class

Compassion in Action

documentary short

Banking on it

Tom Gyrp is the President and CEO of Notre Dame Federal Credit Union. During a day with him on the job, he talks about how compassion, humility, and integrity are central to how he views his role.

Tips: How to use this video in a class

more videos

case studies

Business

The Internship

A struggling intern’s personal circumstances challenge a manager to balance compassion, fairness, and the integrity of a competitive internship program.

READ MORE

Engineering

The Affordable Solution

An engineer must decide whether making a water filter affordable for low-income families justifies reducing the safety margins that protect its users.

READ MORE

Law

The Missed Appointment

A young attorney learns that a difficult client’s absences may reflect hardship rather than carelessness, raising questions about compassion and professional limits.

READ MORE

Medicine

The Empty Well

A difficult patient challenges an ER nurse’s compassion, revealing the risks of exhaustion, assumptions, and clinical detachment.

READ MORE

class resources

Civics

Assignment: Campus Speech Policy

A team-based assignment in which students design a campus speech policy that balances First Amendment principles, Duke’s institutional values, civil discourse, and the virtues of compassion and empathy.

READ MORE

English

Assignment: Ethics Journal

A reflective journaling practice in which students use fiction to examine ethical questions, moral exemplars, and the habits of compassion and empathy in literature and in their own lives.

READ MORE

Philosophy

Assignment: Attention and Empathy

A reflective philosophy assignment in which students practice “philosophical living” through focused attention, listening, dialogue, and empathy, then connect those experiences to the virtues of hopeful citizenship.

READ MORE

Business

Syllabus: Business Ethics and Corporate Social Responsibility

This course helps students connect ethical reasoning with civic responsibility through service-learning, reflection, and real-world business dilemmas.

READ MORE

Religion

Syllabus: Disability Ethics

Through first-person disability narratives, campus accessibility work, and engagement with disability mentors, students learn to challenge harmful assumptions and advocate for communities where disabled lives are honored.

READ MORE

English

Syllabus: Discovery Seminar - Ethics in Fiction

Through ethics journals, class discussion, and literary analysis, students consider how fiction shapes their understanding of justice, love, empathy, and daily ethical life.

READ MORE

Upcoming Events