Episode 7 – Marco Iacoboni

Welcome to Episode 7, where Professor MARCO IACOBONI and I talk about the mirroring, mirror neurons, the science of empathy, and how we understand the minds of others. Marco is Professor of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, where he directs the Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation Laboratory within the Ahmanson-Lovelace Brain Mapping Center. Marco has written volumes of vitally important scientific papers, including a very famous paper published in the journal Science back in 1999 called Cortical Mechanisms of Human Imitation. But Marco has also written a fantastic, highly readable book for the general public that I recommend to anyone interested in the human mind generally, and human empathy more specifically. This book is called MIRRORING PEOPLE: THE NEW SCIENCE OF HOW WE CONNECT WITH OTHERS, and, as I said, it is excellent. I’m not the only one who thinks so. Check this out: “Those of us who thirty years ago began to speculate about the social brain never guessed what riches were in store. Iacoboni's book is both a thrilling account of how research on mirror neurons is revolutionising our understanding of inter-subjectivity, and a passionate manifesto for what he calls ‘existential neuroscience.’ Mirroring People does for the story of mirror neurons what The Double Helix did for DNA.” —Nicholas Humphrey, author of Seeing Red: A Study in Consciousness As enjoyable as Marco is in Episode 7, I wish all my listeners could spend some actual time with him. Marco Iacoboni is one of he friendliest, optimistic, and open-minded folks you’re likely to meet. I feel very lucky indeed to count him as a friend. Thanks for the great conversation, Marco! * * * As always, remember that this podcast is brought to you by VQR and the Center for Media and Citizenship. Plus, we're a member of the TEEJ.FM podcast network. AND... The music of CIRCLE OF WILLIS was composed and performed by Tom Stauffer, Gene Ruley and their band THE NEW DRAKES. You can purchase this music at their Amazon page.