Alexander McCall Smith @McCallSmith , You were asking at tonight's @acdTuesdayTalks about mirror neurons as the basis for human morality. Below are a few pieces that explore how these are being linked. Your thinking is spot on. And yes, Hume & Smith would have been fascinated.
2. "The study confirms that genuine concern for others’ pain plays a causal role in moral dilemma judgments. In other words, a person’s refusal to [act] is due to concern for [the other person], not just their own discomfort in taking an action." newsroom.ucla.edu/releases/mirro…
3. "The paper argues that mirror neurons provide a more direct route to other minds, empathy, and moral motivation that complements the more familiar route based on conscious, verbal inference." researchgate.net/publication/24…
4. "Mirror neurons have been hailed as a cornerstone of human empathy, language, & other processes. But there has also been something of a mirror neuron backlash, with some scientists suggesting their importance of mirror neurons has been exaggerated." greatergood.berkeley.edu/article/item/d…
5. I will end with this explicit link to Adam Smith. That flags one of Trevarthen's favourite contrasts too: "Sympathy" vs. "Empathy". Trevarthen things we've got modern language wrong. papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cf…
6/end. Thank you for such an interesting question. My inclusion of mirror neurons was a bit last minute, as I was worried about space. I'm glad now I made the choice to include them. Ta.
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