[lbo-talk] Mirror neurons

[John Thornton]

Miles Jackson wrote:
> Doug Henwood wrote:
>   
>> On Sep 1, 2007, at 11:23 AM, Chris Doss wrote:
>>
>>     
>>> Cats and dogs, not just hoidy-toidy
>>> gorillas, appear to have empathy.
>>>       
>> I have something like 45 cat-years of experience (having lived with 2  
>> for 20 years, and 1 for 5), and I've never seen a trace of empathy in  
>> them. They are consummate narcissists, which, as Freud theorized, is  
>> part of their charm (like children and criminals).
>>
>> Doug
>>     
>
> Yeah, same experience living about 35 human-years with cats.  One day 
> in my kitchen I dropped a large pickle jar on my big toe.  I howled in 
> agony.  The cat looked up from her food bowl because of the noise and 
> then nonchalantly went back to her food.
>
> Miles

You're anthropomorphizing. Because the cat doesn't behave as a human 
might you take that as evidence of lack of empathy?
If diners at a restaurant see a member of the wait staff fall, don't 
offer to help, and don't feel bad but continue eating is that evidence 
humans can't experience empathy?

John Thornton