"The earth hath bubbles..."

Q. In the book, you often talk of selves as "souls", and of their size. What makes a soul larger?

A. It's not just about how much someone reflects other people in their brain, it's about how. It's a question of reflecting them with empathy, with the ability to put yourself in their place, to suffer along with them. I am a very deep believer in trying to see things from the viewpoint of other people, especially people who are suffering, and projecting myself into other people's mindsets as much as I can.

-- from In the end, we are all part of one another: Douglas Hofstader interviewed by Mike Holderness in New Scientist