This is a valid point and it actually makes my statement stronger. Simply understanding what people like/dislike may not be considered 'true empathy', but caring about what they like/dislike certainly is.
If I make chicken soup for my friend when he's sick, and then I feel good because I can see I've made him happy, that's empathy. If I give $100 to a charity that helps someone I will never see, that's not empathy. The reward there isn't "I see someone happy and I feel their joy as my own." It's knowing abstractly that I've done the right thing. I've done both, and the emotional aspects have virtually nothing in common.
If it's worth saying, but not worth its own post (even in Discussion), then it goes here.