People have the ability to empathize with and even identify as other creatures.
There is neural circuitry in the brain that is especially word to mirror the emotional expressions and gestures we see expressed by other people around us, these are called “mirror neurons”. We also have the mental capacity to imagine ourselves in the place of another person and imagine ourselves feeling what they feel.
These abilities are so strong and generalizable that we can even empathize and identify with simulated/fictional people and non-human animals.
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