March 6, 2007

Aristotle and Mirror Neurons

Here is an audio clip summarizing certain key excerpts from Aristotle's views on ethics.

And the following is a video clip on state-of-the-art research on mirror neurons. Aristotle, you will remember, contended that the habitual performance of acts of a certain kind would eventually produce a corresponding state of mind, or character, in the moral agent. This is precisely why he thinks moral education, through role models who teach by example, is extremely important.

New scientific research, as shown in this video, provides empirical support for Aristotle's claim that
  1. we are social creatures,
  2. we learn through imitation, and
  3. the physical performance of certain actions produces certain cognitive responses.


This stuff is extremely interesting, and I'd love to see some discussion related to this.

4 comments:

Ritz said...

So, if the error for autistic people are found within these mirror neurons, then technically, would the cure for autisim come from more research done with these mirror neurons? It seems that is what the video was trying to point out regarding that.

Also, I think the video was stating subliminally that we, as humans, have evolved faster than other species have, and the increasing rate has been able to make us do what we have done today.

I will say the audio clip was interesting, but the reader was severly lacking emotion or tone. It made the entire thing seemingly repetitive, and tough to follow.

Gina Marie said...

I do believe we r social critters...I cant go a few hours without talking to my girlfriends...or even my mom....i know when i was younger i did everything my mom did and as i am older i see myself doing things she would do....it drives me crazy.

Anonymous said...

I do believe we r social critters...I cant go a few hours without talking to my girlfriends...or even my mom....i know when i was younger i did everything my mom did and as i am older i see myself doing things she would do....it drives me crazy.

Anonymous said...

I do believe we r social critters...I cant go a few hours without talking to my girlfriends...or even my mom....i know when i was younger i did everything my mom did and as i am older i see myself doing things she would do....it drives me crazy.