Current research on cross-species empathy mostly relies on material and phenomenological evidence such as genetic homology, neural circuits, and behavioral observation, presenting an overall research characteristic of "emphasizing carriers over mechanisms" and failing to form a unified, formalizable, and quantifiable underlying explanatory framework. From the perspectives of information science and topology, this paper proposes the Empathetic Topological Theory (Emotional Isomorphism Hypothesis), arguing that the core mechanism of cross-species emotional intercommunication lies in the topological isomorphism of emotional information processing pathways between different living systems, rather than the complete identity of material carriers. This paper constructs a five-layer topological model of emotional information processing and provides its formal expression, defines topological isomorphism at three scales operationally and designs quantitative indicators; proposes a cross-species empirical verification scheme and simulation design based on open brain network data, clarifying the empirical implementation path of the theory; completes the demarcation and deepening with functionalism, reductionism, and generalized emergentism at the level of scientific philosophy, distinguishing the essential differences between empathetic behavior and empathetic experience; extends the theoretical explanatory scope to related issues such as emotional subtype differentiation, abnormal empathy, and artificial emotional defect analysis, perfects model compatibility combined with neurobiological evidence, and proposes a future research agenda for the field. This paper aims to provide a clear, computable, and falsifiable unified theoretical framework for cross-species empathy research, promoting the expansion of this field from the material-centered paradigm to the structure-centered paradigm.
Jian Wen (Fri,) studied this question.