That is why leftists push empathy as the chief virtue. When leftists accuse you of lacking empathy, they are really furiously indignant that they cannot manipulate you, you won't accept their hooks in your flesh. Empathy is an ancillary virtue at best. It is certainly not good in itself or a guarantor of goodness. It can be downright evil. A sadist enjoys the pain of his victims through empathy, while a ruthless manipulator requires empathy to be effective in reading his marks.