or watch it on TED.com

Key points (SPOILER ALERT!):

1. Mirror neurons makes human evolution suddenly Lamarckian instead of Darwinian. That’s why culture is the base of civilization.

2. The second kind of mirror neurons makes empathy. But empathy is different from reality, example: you do not actually experience someone touch other’s arm, because receptors in your skin has a negative feedback to your brain. You will have a phantom touch if anesthetize your arm :)

3. The Eastern philosophy: there is no real independent self. You are in fact, connected not just via Facebook, and Internet, you’re actually quite literally connected to everyone around you by your neurons. And there is no real distinctiveness of your consciousness from somebody else’s consciousness.

4. The culture and civilization, is unique to all human beings. (Fuck I never thought unique could mean that)

5. Neuroscientist Vilayanur Ramachandran’s speech was great, but I didn’t think empathy belongs to human exclusively, perhaps other animals has empathy too but with a weaker and less sophisticated degree. and I think he emphasis too much on visions. What if people are blind?

6. Contrary evidence and opinion for mirror neurons: read this [PDF]

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