%0 Journal Article %T Affective Simulation, Imitation, and the Motor Mirror System %A Sergio Levi %J Perspectives : International Postgraduate Journal of Philosophy %D 2008 %I %X In the first part of this paper I draw a comparison between the phenomenon of affective simulation and the process of mirroring believed to involve the motor system. By analyzing both the similarities and the differences I set out to explain what the motor mirror system might be for. The idea that motor mirroring is simply a species of embodied simulation was mainstream when the mirror neurons seemed to be too limited in scope to underpin imitation. By the end of the paper I come to suggest that learning and genuine cases of transfer of skill provide better candidates for the main function of the motor mirror system. %K Action understanding %K behavior parsing %K imitation %K mirroring %K passive simulation %U http://www.ucd.ie/philosophy/perspectives/resources/levi_affective_simulation.pdf