Phenomenology and Mind

No. 4 (2013): Sense and Sensibility. Empirical and Philosophical Investigations on the Five Senses
Session 1. Perception, Embodiment, Sensibility

How Do We Understand Others? Empathy and Theory-Theory of Mind as Two Different, but Cooperative, Mechanisms for Sensibility

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  • Sarah Songhorian
DOI: https://doi.org/10.13128/Phe_Mi-19593

Published 2016-11-26

Keywords

  • Theory-Theory of Mind,
  • basic empathy,
  • Max Scheler

How to Cite

Songhorian, S. (2016). How Do We Understand Others? Empathy and Theory-Theory of Mind as Two Different, but Cooperative, Mechanisms for Sensibility. Phenomenology and Mind, (4), 104–112. https://doi.org/10.13128/Phe_Mi-19593
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Abstract

The aim of this paper is to understand whether Theory-Theory of Mind (TToM) can be considered the one and only source of our understanding of others or not. I support the idea that TToM cannot have such a role and that it can be played only by basic empathy - a sui generis perception. In this paper, I challenge TToM as basic, I then consider the notion of “empathy” and I provide a very narrow definition of low-level empathy, that I compare to Scheler’s account on affective phenomena.

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