Anemone's Research Emporium

A Brief History of Theory of Mind (ToM)

Part 4: ToM and bigotry

Anemone Cerridwen
April 17, 2009

A year ago when I started hanging out on WrongPlanet, I was appalled to see the number of people who thought that they lacked theory of mind. I knew what ToM was from my studies at university, and I thought it was so basic that it would be rather difficult to be more than a vegetable without it. Surely anyone capable of lamenting about theory of mind is demonstrating the existence of ToM in the lament itself? As in:

It take ToM to debate ToM.

On the one hand, we do have a hard time understanding other people. But at the same time, they have a hard time understanding us, too. It seems to me that it is high time autistic people stopped apologizing for being different - and effectively invisible - and started insisting on a place at the table and an understanding of who we are on our own terms. So we're socially inexperienced. So what? We're not bad people, just a little hard to communicate with, in person, at the mall. You don't understand us? Do something about it. Or don't, if you don't care. But don't push it onto us. We're only half of the equation. You're the other half.

It really saddens me when people believe what bullies tell them: "You're fat", "You're ugly", "You're stupid", "No one will ever like you". Though of course I know first-hand how hard it is to get free of it all when you're brainwashed thoroughly enough. I think "You lack theory of mind" and "You lack empathy" fall into the same category. They're what people say about you when they don't like you, they really don't.

To cheer everybody up, after all this dreary analysis, I leave you with an excerpt from the movie The Princess Bride, from a scene which is as fine an example of ToM as I have ever seen:

VIZZINI:
But it's so simple. All I have to do is divine from what I know of you. Are you the sort of man who would put the poison into his own goblet, or his enemy's? Now, a clever man would put the poison into his own goblet, because he would know that only a great fool would reach for what he was given. I am not a great fool, so I can clearly not choose the wine in front of you. But you must have known I was not a great fool. You would have counted on it. So I can clearly not choose the wine in front of me. . . .

Go watch the rest. : )