Apathy

Usually defined as an absence of feeling, apathy is one of the main reasons for inaction. Human action is informed and driven by emotions, and a lack of emotional involvement with various issues in life, including personal, societal and political concerns, results in people’s inability to respond to emerging challenges. Until recently, social scientists have interpreted this non-feeling and non-acting condition as a default, unlike feeling and acting, which were seen as requiring certain conditions and reasons. However, as I will argue in this chapter, inaction and non-feeling can be actively produced: by events, cultures and personal experiences. Moreover, apathy can be a strategic choice people may prioritize in certain conditions. This chapter will outline how recent literature has approached apathy and its operation in society, particularly emphasizing the importance of apathy for civic and political life. It will touch upon different kinds of apathy (e.g. apathy that results from feeling powerless, overwhelmed or complacent) and the production and operation of apathy in various spheres of social and civic life, for example, environmental issues, formal politics, education and social media. The chapter will also discuss the nexus of apathy and democracy and examine the production of political apathy in authoritarian regimes.