Been looking more into the innate human ability of mimesis, or mimicry. The whole idea about how the verb “to ape” means the same thing as “to mimic” also really got me thinking. Namely, I realized that the phrase “monkey see, monkey do” applies directly to this (MSMD). This seems to be used most commonly in regards to little kids, or about people who copy others blindly. Really, you have to wonder just how much human culture is basically just an elaboration of this MSMD function which is innate in our biology as apes.

Also, I’ve been trying to track down connections between mimesis and empathy, which is basically the ability to “put yourself in someone else’s shoes”.

Philip K. Dick’s novel Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? features an imaginary empathy test (the Voigt-Kampff test) that is used to detect androids masquerading as humans, because androids are incapable of empathy. Human characters in that book also spend a great deal of time using something called an “empathy box” which allows them to share quasi-religiously in the experiences of a single person (Wilbur Mercer).

Besides sci-fi applications though, there has been some research into mimicry and empathy in relation to autism. [Thanks to Jade for the tip in that direction!] A research group at UCLA did some kind of study with an MRI that measured brain activity. They looked at what parts of the brain lit up in people when they were shown pictures of faces, and asked to imitate the expressions. This was compared to what happened in these people’s brains when they were shown pictures of faces, and did not imitate them, but were asked to identify what emotion was being conveyed. While imitation produced much stronger results than identifying emotions, they were by and large very similar, suggesting that these two abilities are somehow linked. This research is going to be expanded to study people with autism, who usually have great difficulty both in mimicking the actions of others, and in empathisizing with them.

The other idea I came up with in relation to mimesis and empathy was the fact that the Golden Rule is said to be one of the few universal human ethical rules across world religions. In case you forgot, it essentially says “Do unto others as you would have done unto you.” I wonder if the true reason for the universality of this law has to do - at its heart - with empathy. In other words, it’s just a gussied up version of Monkey See, Monkey Do.

Also, sticking to the realm of religion, you could find all kinds of stuff about empathy. Jesus, for example. His whole bag is that he takes on the sins of all mankind onto himself in the ultimate act of empathetic identification. He is the ultimate Great Ape. Of course, just because religions teach this ethic of reciprocity doesn’t mean everybody lives up to it. But it’s interesting to think that it all stems from this biological basis of Monkey See, Monkey Do.

1. Here’s a page that talks a little bit about empathy & compassion and the Golden Rule.
2. A page about the shared belief in the Golden Rule and the ethics of reciprocity (has the most complete listing of the Golden Rule in a ton of religious traditions)
3. Apparently I’m not the first one to see the connection between empathy and the Golden Rule, as Wikipedia’s entry on empathy goes into it a bit.
4. Their entry on psychopathic and sociopathic personalities is also kind of interesting, because they discuss how these people seem to lack empathy, and perhaps thereby end up violating the social order
5. They also mention there how the 2003 documentary, The Corporation, talks about how corporations meet the requirements and definitions of psychopathic behavior
6. Research about “mirror neurons” in monkeys
7. Mirror, Mirror: Our Brains are Hardwired for Empathy
8. Do People with Asperger’s Syndrome Have Empathy?
9. Empathy and Attachment in Asperger’s Syndrome and Autism