他心的达及问题与直接感知理论

The Access Problem of Mindreading and Direct Perception Theory

我们如何能够超出对他身的感知而达及他心?此即他心的达及问题。心灵理论(ToM)致力于解决达及问题,但它被批评为"最多只是描述了部分的读心过程"。近年来兴起的直接感知理论(DPT)主张他心是可直接感知的。一些人据此认为,DPT颠覆了ToM的"他心不可观察性"预设,成功地取消了达及问题。然而,DPT早期提倡者所援引的"读心的现象学"并不能消解达及问题。"巧知觉"概念是理解DPT的很好切入点,可在它的基础上发展出一个解决达及问题的方案,即他心是作为高层次特征为巧知觉所直接感知的。因此,DPT是一个可与ToM相互补充的适切理论。

The way we get to know others’mental states is obviously different from the way we perceive others’bodies.How then can we access others’minds beyond the perception of others’bodies?This problem is called the access problem.ToM aims to solve the access problem,but has been criticized because it only depicts a part of the processes of mindreading.Recently,a new paradigm called direct perception theory(DPT)has thrived.Early defenders of DPT argue that others’minds can be directly perceived,and that once we reject the unobservability presupposition underlying ToM,the access problem is dissolved.I will argue that the so called"phenomenology of mindreading"cannot dissolve the access problem.I will also show that the concept of"smart perception"is a good cut-in point to get to the core of the access problem,and that our smart perception directly perceives others’mental states as high-level features.My conclusion is that DPT is an adequate theory which complements ToM.