Essay on The Problem of Other Minds - 2262 Words

To the vast majority of people, the problem of other minds may seem inconsequential or non-existent; to some; however, the problem of other minds is a tantalizing dilemma. The problem of other minds asks how one can support the commonsense belief in the existence of other minded individuals against the general denial of other minds. A general denial of other minds requires an individual to wholeheartedly believe they are the only minded individual that exists and all others are simple automatons. The problem of other minds arises because any belief we have about another’s minds is drawn solely from observation and inference; and the information supplied by the senses cannot be proven accurate. Furthermore no amount of observation can†¦show more content†¦The second objection is the difficulty in ascertaining which behaviors constitute thought and/or experience and which do not. Logical Behaviorism would imply that an actor depicting a character in pain would ind eed be experiencing pain, an obvious fallacy. Humble Disclosure argues that the awareness of one’s own mind permits the belief in other minds; furthermore, our own conscious thoughts, emotions, and experiences depend upon our ability to apprehend other minds. A major objection to Humble Disclosure is it â€Å"begs the question,† or makes the assumption that one cannot self-ascribe mental concepts to one’s self without other-ascribing them as well. Consider the unrealistic yet prudent scenario of an individual whom is completely â€Å"normal,† but has lived in solitary confinement his or her entire life, and then accidentally cuts themselves. One would assume pain is still felt even though the individual is incapable of ascribing belief to others (the very concept of â€Å"others† does not exist to them). The final non-solution Graham mentions is Arguments from Analogy which goes as follows: I know I am minded and because I am similar to others I am correct in inferring others are minded as well. This explanation has a few problems however, the first of which is it only allows minds to be ascribed to humans (â€Å"normal, healthy† ones at that).Show MoreRelatedThe Problem Of Other Minds1673 Words   |  7 PagesProblem of Other Minds We all go through our life’s as individuals. We are present in our life’s at the time of our birth, though we do not recall being there. We are present in our life’s at the time of death. There have thoughts and experiences of interacting with other objects, animals, and humans. But is this reality? Can I be certain, without a doubt, of the credibility of my experiences? Are there other beings and if so do these beings have conscious experiences? 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