Abstract

This article examines empathy within a phenomenological-anthropological framework, highlighting its role in fostering understanding across diverse cultures and communities. It introduces an approach rooted in the local territories of South America, advocating for the recognition of ancestral wisdom from Indigenous peoples as a response to the global humanitarian and environmental crises. This approach not only transcends the dominant anthropocentric paradigm by incorporating care for non-human species and the natural environment but also offers an alternative view that challenges hegemonic ideologies and cultivates mutual intercultural respect. © The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2025.