The Routledge Handbook of Philosophy of Animal Minds by Kristin Andrews Jacob Beck

Author:Kristin Andrews,Jacob Beck
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Taylor & Francis Ltd
Published: 2017-06-20T04:00:00+00:00

Conclusion

Apes and infants are sensitive to others’ false beliefs. But we can’t yet say tout court that they have a concept of belief – because we’re not yet in agreement about what counts as understanding belief, and there are alternative explanations for their actions that do not require belief ascription. But does this mean that apes lack our theory of mind?

In a commentary in Science on the Krupenye et al. study, Frans de Waal writes:

Theory of mind is probably part of a much larger picture that includes empathy, social connectedness, and the way bodies relate to other bodies. It is no accident that the tests conducted here focus on the body, i.e., subjects’ eyes following the physical movements of actors. As such, the study by Krupenye et al. may help us move away from the prevailing assumption that theory of mind relies on a cognitive simulation of what is going on in the heads of others. Reading others’ minds is beyond anybody’s capacity. All we can do – and what apes apparently do in similar ways – is read bodies.

(de Waal 2016, p. 40)

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