Neuroscience and the Study of Literature. Some Thoughts on the Possibility of Transferring Knowledge

The discussion of two different approaches to the study of literature lies at the heart of the debate between Frank Kelleter and Karl Eib1.(1) Our contribution is intended to shift the focus of the discussion by suggesting that attention be given above all to the issues surrounding the cross-disciplinary transfer of knowledge and the legitimacy of adopting knowledge from one discipline in another.(2) We analyse a recent example of knowledge transfer, Gerhard Lauer's essay > Spiegelneuronen Uber den Grund des Wohlgefallens an der Nachahmung <(> MirrorNeurons: On why we Enjoy Imitation <, Lauer 2007),(3) and then draw some general methodological conclusions about the possibility of transferring knowledge from neuroscience and cognitive science to the study of literature.