Can we ever know the minds of others? Will we ever experience their lives as they do? Is technology distorting identity?

“No man is an island” wrote Donne. We are social animals and through shared experiences we come to know ourselves and others.

Yet such is the nature of consciousness that our thoughts and feelings are ultimately hidden, private and inscrutable. From our loved ones to strangers on the street, it remains impossible to truly know anyone. Meanwhile, with the parade of perfect lives exhibited by social media, or twitter and its anonymous trolls, the gap between appearance and reality is growing. And now neuroscience claims we even dupe ourselves to gain social advantage.

Are our minds profoundly unknowable? Are we as much a mystery to ourselves as we are to each other? Or is experience inextricably social and identity created through interaction with the world?

In this issue of IAI News, we tackle problem of other minds. Our contributors will be asking if it’s possible to know anyone, including ourselves, and how this might radically change the way we see the world.