The problem of other minds is a philosophical problem traditionally stated as the following epistemological question: Given that I can only observe the behavior of others, how can I know that others have minds?
The problem is that knowledge of other minds is always indirect.
The problem of other minds does not negatively impact social interactions often due to instinctive assumptions that others exist, in part explained by mirror neuron functioning.
It is a major issue of the philosophical idea known as solipsism: the notion that for any person only one's own mind is known to exist.
Solipsism maintains that no matter how sophisticated someone's behavior is, behavior on its own does not guarantee the presence of mentality.
See also
Animal consciousness
Boltzmann brain
Brain in a vat
Chinese room
Dream argument
Explanatory gap
Hard problem of consciousness
Mind–body problem
Philosophical skepticism
Philosophical zombie
Philosophy of mind
Psychophysics
Qualia
Turing test
Theory of mind
References
Further reading
External links
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Problem of other minds, the Category:Concepts in epistemology Other minds
