Am I Alone?
Jun 01, 2014A popular theme in science fiction is the eerily lifelike robot: a piece of machinery so well engineered that its outputs pass for genuinely human behaviors.
A popular theme in science fiction is the eerily lifelike robot: a piece of machinery so well engineered that its outputs pass for genuinely human behaviors.
We base many decisions every day not only on the belief that other people have minds, but on detailed beliefs about what is going on in...
Various forms of skepticism play important roles in the history of philosophy. Do we really know there are external objects?
Modern science tells us that the mind is just the brain working. But science cannot yet tell us how consciousness, rationality,&nb...
Self-deception sounds like a contradiction: intentionally convincing yourself of something you know to be untrue.
A popular theme in science fiction is the eerily lifelike robot: a piece of machinery so well engineered that its outputs pass for genuinely human behaviors.
We base many decisions every day not only on the belief that other people have minds, but on detailed beliefs about what is going on in...
Various forms of skepticism play important roles in the history of philosophy. Do we really know there are external objects?
Modern science tells us that the mind is just the brain working. But science cannot yet tell us how consciousness, rationality,&nb...
Self-deception sounds like a contradiction: intentionally convincing yourself of something you know to be untrue.
Comments (5)
Gerald Fnord
Saturday, May 31, 2014 -- 5:00 PM
Funny that Dr AvramidesFunny that Dr Avramides should bring up objects: many autistic people, myself included, have very strong relationships with objects; I'll hypothesise that once you learnt that you're supposed to treat human beings as if they had minds, even though they behave in ways that make no sense, it's easier to treat objects, pets, transit networks, &c. as if they did as well (much as how people, having got used to seeing that people make things and do things, imagine gods to make and operate the Universe).
It makes being a materialist, in the quotidian sense as well as the philosophical, very easy.
cogscisomething
Wednesday, June 4, 2014 -- 5:00 PM
The commenter above makes aThe commenter above makes a good point, that mind attribution is rampant and normal (and normative). I'd love to hear Profs. Taylor, Perry, and Avramides discuss this outside the binary asking whether we can('t) rationally deny the possibility of other minds, and discuss possible philosophical issues relating to degrees and kinds of mental attribution. Not just autism, but, e.g. cognitively "normal" people from other cultures, ages, etc. Could there be a practical AND philosophical problem of degrees of other mindedess in this way?
alex619
Sunday, February 1, 2015 -- 4:00 PM
Not just autism, but, e.g.Not just autism, but, e.g. cognitively "normal" people from other cultures, ages, etc. Could there be a practical AND valentines day quotes valentines day poems philosophical problem of degrees of other mindedess in this way? - See more at: valentines day poems for him valentines day quotes for him
alex619
Sunday, February 1, 2015 -- 4:00 PM
So perhaps something aboutSo perhaps something about the way we set up the problem is mistaken. Philosophers as different as Ludwig Wittgenstein and Fred Dretske thought that this was so.
Guest
Saturday, January 2, 2016 -- 4:00 PM
great post.that mindgreat post.that mind attribution is rampant and normal (and normative). I'd love to hear Profs. Taylor, Perry, and Avramides discuss this outside the binary asking whether we can('t) rationally deny the possibility of other minds, and discuss possible philosophical issues relating to degrees and kinds of mental attribution.
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