Mind Reading

Gordon Gallup of the State University of New York in Albany (USA), the inventor of the mirror test for self-recognition in animals (see Chap. 10 ), has argued that self-consciousness also implies the attribution of consciousness in others [636]. The self, he argues, is social at its core, understanding itself from its position in the social matrix [637]. Empirical confirmation of this view comes from studies of patients. People who have difficulty imagining the thoughts and desires of others also have difficulty seeing into themselves, introspectively reflecting on their own actions, or anticipating the consequences of their own actions [638]. Of course, it is also conceivable to have self-awareness and yet not be able to think or feel one’s way into others. However, such a consciousness would be empty, trapped in a solipsistic mind, unable to exchange with others, coordinate its actions with those of others, or even cooperate with them. Yet, this is precisely the hallmark of human reason. Human culture is inconceivable without a theory of mind.