Friday, December 16, 2011, at 8 PM at the MAMAC Auditorium
Lecture by Dr. Benoit KULLMANN: “Narcissus, Echo, and Mirror Neurons”
Twenty years ago, mirror neurons made their way into the vocabulary of neuroscience, as an accessible notion amid a challenging glossary. Since then, the fascination for these admirable cells has only grown; they are now seen supporting every variant of imitation theories.
Beyond learning, they are thought to be involved in the theory of mind, empathy, and autism, all of which they would validate a posteriori. Hailed as a unifying principle of neuropsychology, mirror neurons merit a review, if not a reflection.
However, their discoverer himself, Giacomo Rizzolatti, paradoxically mentions, beyond their appeal, the danger associated with their use. This threatening aspect is rarely discussed, except in a late encounter with René Girard’s theory of mimetism.
This latter point will be developed by revisiting the myths of Narcissus and Echo—the Greeks had warned us—and by examining the temptation of mimetism in art through examples of pictorial filiations demonstrating that genius cannot be a plagiarist. Some musical excerpts will confirm for us that the abuse of mimesis is harmful.
Dr. Benoit KULLMANN runs a very large private neurology practice in Nice, France. He has long-standing clinical expertise in neurodegenerative diseases and dementias. Moreover, he is recognized in France and more recently in Quebec for his talents as a lecturer in the field of neurology. He has been invited several times to the CRIUGM to give workshops on dementias and neurodegenerative diseases. He participates in directing several associations and seminars that allow for reflection among experts on mental illnesses. He is also the author of various works on the brain, as well as on neurology and art.
He collaborates with Dr. Oury MONCHI and Dr. Sylvie BELLEVILLE on research projects involving Quebec, France, and Monaco, focusing on Parkinson’s disease, Lewy body dementia, and Alzheimer’s disease. He has been an associate researcher at the CRIUGM since September 2009.
