Brains, Persons, and Society *** ABSTRACTS
Cervelli, Persone e Società ***ABSTRACTS
Giacomo
Rizzolatti Dipartimento di Neuroscienze, Università di Parma
Understanding actions made by others
The only thing that the brain knows is the activity
of its neurons. This activity is determined by the internal state of
individual and by stimuli occurring in the external world. There are
two views on the epistemological primacy of these two information
sources. A view is that an individual knows first and best himself. The
other is that our knowledge is essentially constructed on the basis of
our experience of the external word.
On the basis of neurophysiological studies I will
submit that the neural pattern at the basis of goal-directed actions
has both these properties: it is immediately given and it relates to
and controls the external world. To illustrate this position I will
review, first, the properties of a particular set of neurons located in
premotor cortex of the monkey that discharge during goal-directed
actions. I will describe then another set of neurons located in the
premotor cortex and in the parietal lobe, the “mirror neurons”. These
neurons discharge both when an individual makes a particular action and
when he observes another individual doing a similar action. I will show
that mirror neurons are at basis of understanding of actions made by
others and the intention behind them. I will conclude discussing the
role that neuroscience may have in elucidating key concepts like
intentionality.
