A friend mentioned the “Mirror Hypothesis” to me yesterday, in a context I hadn’t considered.

The Mirror Hypothesis is an explanation of how human language (among other things) may have originated. The hypothesis arose from an observation: If you show a primate (even a human one) a video of someone else grasping something, it activates neurons in the viewer’s brain related to grasping. You’re not grasping, but the brain scan will show activity in your grasping centres, if that’s even a term.

Dr Michael Arbib is a leading proponent of the view that the capacity for language grew from this tendency; first, that primates could grasp, then they could understand that someone else was grasping, then to pantomime, and on and on to language. He’s here at UWA from time to time, so it’s interesting to talk to him about it.

Anyway, my friend pointed out this article from TPM Cafe which suggests that the Mirror Hypothesis is a good explanation for how morality arose in human life. We have the ability to feel what other people are feeling, almost like it’s happening to us. (Unfortunately, we have to turn it off sometimes as a defense mechanism. Evolution has not yet equipped us for the nightly news.) This ability has given us the capacity for empathy and altruism. This has probably conferred some selectional advantages on humans because helping each other helps more people to survive, which leads to a diverse and healthy gene pool.

I haven’t had anyone try and tell me that morality comes from God yet, but if they do, I’ll suggest there’s a simpler explanation.