Edith Stein delineated the limits of empathy. She would say that though empathy is an experience of foreign consciousness, this consciousness determines how empathic projection proceeds.
I, as the subject, would be able to empathize with all things that have at least a living body. To be sure, this perception of living body is a precondition to any empathic experience.
Thus, I would be able to empathize with plants, animals, and of course, humans. Stein says that as the difference between my type and the other’s type increases, the smaller the range of empathic experience becomes.
Obviously, I would be able to empathize with my fellow man more because my type (human being) is the same as this man’s type (human being). Thus, I would be able to get a great deal of knowledge of this man’s experiences.
With the animals, the empathic projection is very limited because the type is different than mine. I could not understand many things the animals have and do. But I could perceive their suffering and pain. I could certainly understand when a dog cries in pain, for example.
Lastly, I would have the least empathic experience with the plants. Plants are very far from my type. The knowledge that I could get from them is only about their “life.” In short, I know that they are at least alive in contrast to a cement block, for example.
The limits, thus, of empathic experience is determined by the type of the subject and the object of the experience. The closer the object’s type is to mine, the greater the possibility of empathic experience.
Empathy 