Do we have souls?

[GliderGuider]

111. That sounds like mirror neurons in action.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mirror_neuron

A mirror neuron is a neuron that fires both when an animal acts and when the animal observes the same action performed by another.[1][2][3] Thus, the neuron "mirrors" the behaviour of the other, as though the observer were itself acting. Such neurons have been directly observed in primate and other species including birds. In humans, brain activity consistent with that of mirror neurons has been found in the premotor cortex, the supplementary motor area, the primary somatosensory cortex and the inferior parietal cortex.

Mirror neurons were first described in 1992. Some scientists consider this to be one of the most important recent discoveries in neuroscience. Among them is V.S. Ramachandran, who believes they might be very important in imitation and language acquisition. Ramachandran has also speculated that mirror neurons are involved in understanding other people's feelings (empathy) and that they have played a role in the development of human culture.[4]

However, scientists such as Greg Hickok have expressed skepticism in regard to the claim that mirror neurons are the basis of the cognitive ability to understand others' intentions or feelings. Hickok, the director of the Center for Cognitive Neuroscience at UC Irvine, has argued that there is little or no evidence to support the claim that mirror neurons are involved in understanding the intentions of others.[5] Despite the excitement generated by these findings, to date no widely accepted neural or computational models have been put forward to describe how mirror neuron activity supports cognitive functions such as imitation.[6]

The function of the mirror system is a subject of much speculation. Many researchers in cognitive neuroscience and cognitive psychology consider that this system provides the physiological mechanism for the perception action coupling (see the common coding theory).[3] These mirror neurons may be important for understanding the actions of other people, and for learning new skills by imitation. Some researchers also speculate that mirror systems may simulate observed actions, and thus contribute to theory of mind skills,[7][8] while others relate mirror neurons to language abilities.[9] It has also been proposed that problems with the mirror system may underlie cognitive disorders, particularly autism.[10][11] However the connection between mirror neuron dysfunction and autism is tentative and it remains to be seen how mirror neurons may be related to many of the important characteristics of autism.[6]

But that's still not the domain of the "soul" that I think ST is taking about here, and certainly not what I mean when I use the word.