Final Draft

Final Draft

Humans usually understand other’s emotions and their actions. For example, they can feel sorrow when they see someone in pain. Or, they can understand why someone did some acts even when they are not in that situation. And as ‘Harvard Sampler’ says that human ability is both innate and acquired, empathy ability is as well. It is true that a person's empathy ability is influenced by one's experience and environment, but I argue that an empathy ability is more likely innate, so it is hard to change.

There are three supporting reasons. First, feeling other’s emotions is not just invoking memory from the brain but it is closely related to certain human brain action. And, people who innately have disease 'Altruism' cannot truly improve their empathy ability. In addition, the empathy among nonhuman animals can support my argument.

'Mirror neurons' had discovered and have studied for pretty long time. A mirror neuron fires both when "an animal acts and observes the same action performed by another."(Wikipedia) Thus, observer looking at other acting, it feels as though itself is acting. "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."(Wikipedia) These are parts of a brain.

Mirror neuron was found during neurophysiologists performing experiment about monkey's action and its brain. During the experiment, monkeys were allowed to reach for pieces of food and single neuron in its brain was recorded. Researchers found that some of the neurons respond when the monkey see someone pick up the food as well as when monkey pickup the food. In other words, some neurons in monkey's brain responded when they see a person's action as the monkey itself acts. Later, researchers confirmed that about 10% of neurons in the monkey's inferior frontal and inferior parietal cortex mirror and respond similarly to performed hand action.

However, there are some problem not yet solved about mirror neurons. "There are neuroscientists who caution that the claims being made for the role of mirror neurons are not supported by adequate research."(Wikipedia) Also, it is not normally possible to study single neuron in the human brain.

As second material, here is the definition of autism. "Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and autism are both general terms for a group of complex disorders of brain development."(www.sumobrain.com) People with autism usually have "difficulties in social interaction, verbal and nonverbal communication and repetitive behaviors."

Finally, the theory of mind means the cognitive ability that can imagine and understand other's perspective.

Mirror neuron is the special neuron cell which was found in the brain of primate including human. It fires when observe other acting even though the observer doesn't act. The existence of mirror neuron can show that the ability to empathize is innate in humans and primates.

It might be right that the experience a person get can affect his or her empathy ability. However, person cannot experience everything in the world. Nonetheless, a person can empathize almost every emotions that others have. For example, when a person sees children who suffer from starvation through the television, that person might feel sad, sympathize. It might be not because that person has suffered from the starvation as well. Thus, it says the empathy is the inherent ability, and the experience is only to make deeper and more specific empathy.

Another evidence to support that empathy in humans is innate is Autism. One of the symptoms of autism is a lack of empathy. People with autism usually cannot understand another person's feelings including pain or sorrow.

Autism is an inherent disorder. Thus, that a person with autism lacks the empathy ability show empathy is also inherent ability. Some may say people with autism can be taught empathy. For example, mother would teach his son with autism that he should say sorry when he steps on someone's foot. The son might be able to follow mother's saying, but it is not empathy, but only the respond in a certain situation.

Third, the empathy among nonhuman animals and empathy in children can support my argument.

Empathy in animals can be observed through the following experiment.

According to an experiment performed by Masserman et al in 1964, "15 rhesus monkeys were trained to get food by pulling chains. Monkeys quickly learned that one chain delivered twice as much food than the other. But then the rules changed. If a monkey pulled the chain associated with the bigger reward, another “bystander” monkey received an electric shock. After they had seen their conspecific get a shock, 10 of the monkeys switched their preferences to the chain associated with the lesser food reward. Two other monkeys stopped pulling either chain—preferring to starve rather than see another monkey in pain"

Animals are more likely to have difficulties in experiencing. Thus, according to this experiment, animals can empathize even though they don't have experience.

Also, empathy in children can be observed in this following experiment performed by Decety et al in 2008. "When typically developing kids (aged 7 to 12 years) were presented with images of people getting hurt, the kids experienced more activity in the same neural circuits that process first-hand experiences of pain" This research shows a relationship between first-hand experience of painfulness and perception of other's pain.

Empathy can be thought not inherent. Some may think infants doesn't have any empathizing ability, but it is only built up through their experiences. It is because young children cannot empathize something they have not yet experienced. As they grow up, they usually get to understand them. Thus, they would argue that empathy is not an inherent ability. But I would argue that it is not true because children and animals also have ability to empathize. Children and animals are more limited in their experiences. If experience is much more influential, they will have little empathy ability. Thus, it might be true that experience can affect empathy but it only helps to make deeper and more specific empathy.

Empathy is an ability that can understand others' feeling or action. Empathy is not just the imaginations or ideas. It is related to human brains biologically and psychologically. And I argue that empathy is more likely inherent ability. And I give three supporting: mirror neuron, Autism, and the existence of empathy both in animals and children. Mirror neuron can be the physical evidence which exists in the brain. Autism is an example that shows that the empathy ability is hard to be changed after one was born. Also, it was proved that animals also have empathy ability. The confirmation of my argument is trustable as I illustrated it with facts that already had existed, not with my subjective opinion. In society, there are increasing crimes: school bullying, sex crimes, murder cases etc. These are more likely committed by someone who lacks empathy ability. But according to my argument, learning empathy ability from education has little possibility. However, usually, the reason why non offenders do not commit a crime is because he thinks that it should never be occurred or that it is out of laws not often because he empathize how others would feel. Thus, crimes caused by lack of empathy ability can be diminished with the education which can give control to dangerous desires.

For these reasons, it is sure that empathy ability is more likely innate.

reference:

http://www.parentingscience.com/empathy-and-the-brain.html

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

http://www.parentingscience.com/empathy-and-the-brain.html#sthash.6MJyhulz.dpuf)
www.thebrainperformancecenter.com/conditions-and-s...
caselaw.findlaw.com/us-6th-circuit/1627960.html
www.futuremedicineonline.com/detail_news.php?id=27
www.autismspeaks.org/what-autism