11. The Fabric of Social Life

Author: Goldman, Alvin I.

Source: Simulating Minds, August 2006 , pp. 276-364(89)

Publisher: Oxford Scholarship Online Monographs

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Abstract:

Many of our distinctively human social traits are interwoven with simulational propensities. A stroll through simulation-related topics includes the psychological underpinnings of social bonds, our fascination with fiction, and the relevance of simulation and empathy to moral theory. The “chameleon effect”, which involves unconscious mimicry of facial expressions, postures, and mannerisms, promotes cohesion and liking within a group. Enactment imagination and empathy lie at the core of our experience of fiction. Emotional empathy, i.e., affective contagion, is a crucial determinant of the quality of life, and high-level empathy, or perspective taking, plays a critical role in moral motivation and moral principles, especially universalization principles like the golden rule.

Keywords: empathy; mimicry; contagion; social bonds; quality of life; perspective taking; golden rule; fiction; moral motivation; chameleon effect

Document Type: Research article

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