Humanity’s biggest challenges are climate change, income inequality, disease, and poverty. The root of each is sociopathic leaders who do not have empathy for anyone but themselves. We can use the Five Whys approach to break these down and understand the root causes of each issue and explore solutions.
1. Why is Climate Change Out of Control?
Climate change is an existential crisis, but it’s left unaddressed because those who hold the power to make impactful changes—key politicians, media moguls, and tech giants—often lack empathy. Their priorities lie elsewhere, and the result is apathy toward environmental stewardship. We face a deficit of empathy at the top, blocking action on climate issues.
2. Why Are Preventable Diseases Still Rampant?
When it comes to supporting healthcare and eradicating diseases, the investment from wealthier individuals and governments remains insufficient. While figures like Bill Gates are notable exceptions in the fight against diseases like malaria, most affluent individuals are not directing their resources toward these goals. The reason? Sociopathy at the top; a lack of empathy is once again the common thread.
3. Why Does Income Inequality Persist?
The growing wealth gap is not merely an economic issue but a social one. Many individuals with immense wealth resist initiatives to “level up” society because they are driven by self-interest, not a sense of collective responsibility. Again, this behavior is rooted in a lack of empathy and accountability.
4. Why Does Poverty Continue?
Despite innovative anti-poverty initiatives, poverty remains widespread. I have firsthand experience, having worked on the UK Government’s largest anti-poverty program in India. Unfortunately, effective programs like this one are few and far between, because those in power don’t genuinely care enough to champion them. We see the same empathy void, allowing poverty to persist even when solutions exist.
5. Why Are Sociopaths Leading the Way?
So, why are so many sociopaths in positions of influence? The answer lies in our limited ability to recognize them. We don’t know how to reliably identify sociopathy, nor do we educate our youth on the dangers it poses to society. Yet, sociopathy may be one of the greatest threats to humanity, capable of undermining our collective wellbeing on a global scale.
Recognize Sociopaths to Effect Change
To address the world’s most pressing problems, we need to tackle sociopathy. Though we don’t yet have a cure for it, even if we did, those with sociopathic tendencies wouldn’t seek help—they don’t view themselves as needing “fixing.”
After more than 40 years of working with trauma victims—from terrorism to domestic violence—I have seen that the root cause of trauma is almost always the abuser’s lack of empathy. I have also met with and worked with politicians in several countries. Many that I met were decent smart people. But as we know all too well, too many are driven by self-interest over the welfare of others.
My solution is straightforward: raise awareness about sociopathy. Just as society has raised awareness about tobacco and alcohol’s dangers, we should similarly spotlight the impacts of sociopathic leadership. If we educate voters to recognize sociopathic traits, we could make more informed choices, electing leaders who genuinely care about climate action, income equality, healthcare, and poverty reduction.
How Generative AI Could Help
AI could be transformative here. Right now, our ability to detect sociopathy is limited and often unreliable (but see Jon Ronson’s book, The Psychopath Test, which explores this.) AI could help us assess traits linked to sociopathy more accurately and efficiently, providing a tool to better evaluate those in positions of power.
Let’s use AI to reveal these hidden traits, then teach people how to identify them. In doing so, we’d be empowering society to take a crucial step toward a fairer, more compassionate world—one where humanity’s greatest challenges could finally be met with genuine empathy and action.
By Victor Lyons, who provides comprehensive trauma solutions via the Trauma Solution Project
