Do apes read minds? : toward a new folk psychology /

Are traditional theories of folk psychology adequate to explain how people understand one another? Should philosophical theories of mind focus solely on predicting behavior? Do humans and apes have more in common than previously thought? Andrews (York Univ., Toronto) considers each of these questions in her new book combining research in psychology, philosophy, and zoology. Specifically, Andrews challenges the traditional folk psychological notion that people understand one another as mere receptacles of propositional attitudes and instead suggests that people must do so as complete, social beings. In support of her thesis, she examines the traditional theory of folk psychology, and exposes its limitations in explaining and predicting human behavior. She then proposes her own positive theory of folk psychology--that understanding the behavior of others requires recognizing them as intentional agents and having the socio-cognitive capacity to engage with those agents. The author concludes that her approach requires an updated theory of mind and that it opens up the possibility that humankind's primate relatives share more with humans cognitively than previously thought possible. Crisply and clearly written, this enjoyable, informative work ends by offering suggestions for further research. Summing Up: Highly recommended. Upper-level undergraduates through researchers/faculty. R. K. Rowe Kaplan University