"Toward a Cognitive Neurobiology of Moral Virtues" Paul Churchland "Neural Representations of Social Reality" Larry May "Mind and Morals: Essays on Cognitive Sciences and Ethics" ed. Marilyn Friedman (?) "The Impact of Extensive Medial Frontal Lobe Damage on 'Theory of Mind' and Cognition" C.M. Bird "Who Needs Emotions? The Brain Meets the Robot" ed. Jean-Marc Fellous "Animal Cognition: The Mental Lives of Animals" Clive Wynne "Mind of the Raven" Bernd Heinrich
The second and third sources listed I have not yet read but I have read enough references to them that I acquired them and will do so eventually. Please do not assume that because I have listed these sources that I agree with ALL the conclusion of the authors.
One could do worse than to read the research work of the following individuals:
Paul and Patricia Churchland Paul Eslinger Tania Singer Ray Dolan Ricardo Oliveira-Souza Marco Iacoboni
I assume that, like myself, most list members would have to get copies of articles from their library unless they just happen to subscribe to Science, Nature, Current Opinions in Neurology, Neuroscience, or other professional publications where such information is generally found. The more one reads of current animal research the more one is surprised that even more than 100 years after Edward Thorndike's experiments with cats too many scientists have not yet learned to avoid his predictable mistakes.
For a disturbing and strange take on this subject check out "The Criminal Prosecution and Capital Punishment of Animals" by E.P. Evans.
John Thornton