"
Just re-reading the Rizzolatti paper on mirror neurons and empathy I linked to yesterday.
Here's what the open para of the synopsis says:
"Humans are an exquisitely social species. Our survival and success depend criti-
cally on our ability to thrive in complex social situations. But how do we under-
stand others? Which are the mechanisms underlying this capacity?"
They cite Adam Smith - the great hero of the individualist tendency - on the fact that we seem deeply connected to and affected by each other and describe eloquently how they believe mirror neurons provide the physical underpinning of this connection. They - neuroscientists both - have a simple and very Herd view of our like pink-pawed species:
"Humans are social beings. They spend a large part of their time observing others
and trying to understand what they are doing and why"
Unlike those terrible neuromarketing vendors, these two understand the context within which we need to understand brain function - other people...
Go on, put you feet up and have a read.