Are the Brain's Two Hemispheres imitators? -- Mimetic Theory and Literary Study

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Date Posted: 21:18:54 03/16/08 Sun
Author: Jfish
Subject: Are the Brain's Two Hemispheres imitators?

I was reading a passage in Douglass Hofstadter's "I am a Strange Loop" which makes me wonder how far mimesis could possibly go. We've seen that people can imitate others, types of others and whole groups can imitate one another. But when I think about how the brain works, I'm curious whether it can imitate itself perfectly. See, in the brain, our two hemispheres are distinct and can function normally without much help from the other hemisphere. When someone gets a lobotomy (cutting the connection between the hemispheres) that person can go about a normal day with only minor problems. This would include issues like the left hand buttons up a shirt while the right unbuttons it. The person somehow thinks both at the same time. So it seems that the hemispheres can be considered largely independent thinking machines.
While the hemispheres are joined, they communicate with supreme efficiency. So fast, that we never really consider the two separate entities; they both contribute to our idea of a self. For example, when trying to find a way of expressing things in a sentence, both halves will contribute to finding the right words. In the end, we only consider the finished product. But the hemispheres acted separately.
My question concerns the final result. The result of our actions is an object by which both sides cooperate to create. Could we consider this the brain's way of imitating itself? Could one hemisphere have the desire, and the other imitate that desire so well that we see little difference between the two? If so, this would provide a keen example of where imitation would not lead to rivalry, but a greater overall effectiveness that comes from imitation.
I think this is important because we could also consider this possible at a larger scale. Humans do not have to always end in rivalry through their imitation. If they never create barriers but allow their individuality to fully become interdividuality, it might be possible to remain in that gray area between model and imitator without bitterness. Perhaps there is even Biblical precedent for this, because Jesus prays, "Let them become one, as we are one."

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