Getting over “the problem of other minds”- Communication in context.pdf

Infant Behavior Development 30 (2007) 289–295 Getting over “the problem of other minds”: Communication in context Alan Costall a,∗, Ivan Leudarb a Department of Psychology, University of Portsmouth, Portsmouth, Hampshire PO1 2DY, UK b Department of Psychology, University of Manchester, Manchester M13 9PL, UK Received 19 February 2007; accepted 20 February 2007 Abstract Theories of communication often assume that communication has a single, essential form or telos, the culmination of a one-track developmental process where precursors eventually give rise to the real thing. At one time, this essence of communication was identified with linguistic competence, whereas now it is largely defined in terms of “Theory of Mind.” But the fundamental problem with “Theory of Mind” is the very problem it pretends to solve: “the problem of other minds.” That problem, as formulated, is insoluble, even with the aid of theory or innate modules. In this article, we reject the superficial depth psychology of “Theory of Mind” in favour of a breadth psychology based on context. © 2007 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. Keywords: Communication; Context; Theory of mind; Grice; Vygotsky What is missing, then, . . . is reality and the child’s relationship to that reality. What is missing is the child’s practical activity. This is fundamental. Even the socialization of the child’s thinking is analysed . . . outside the context of practice. It is isolated from reality and treated as the pure interaction or communication of minds. (Vygotsky, 1987, p. 87).1 Philosophers often say that context is very important. Let us take this remark seriously. Surely, if we do, we shal