 When compassion is action. The sociological paradoxes of compassion 
The aim of this paper is to examine what the notion of compassion means from a sociological point of view, what it teaches us and allows us to understand about social activity. In this sense, this article aims to identify the sociological virtues of compassion, identifying what it covers and what it involves in light of two variables : on the one hand, its quality as a social relationship and, on the other, its link to action. A key idea emerges : compassion is first and foremost a social relationship, but a) a paradoxical social relationship that equalizes on the basis of a sustained difference, b) a social relationship marked by the seal of powerlessness while at the same time calling for action, and c) a momentary relationship of recognition of others. This text concludes with some ideas to explain the origin of impotence at the heart of compassion.