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.  

The Minds of Strangers
Anita Avramides - Oxford philosopher and author of Other Minds
How does self-knowledge differ from our understanding of others? Can we know the minds of those around us? Or will the Other always remain a mystery? Avramides investigates the enigma of other minds.

The Secrets of Experience
John Heil - metaphysician and author of The Universe as We Find It
Can we experience the consciousness of another? Will we ever know what it is like to see through their eyes? Seeking answers to these age-old mysteries is philosopher of mind, John Heil.