Introduction: Literature and the Emergence of Theory of Mind

Abstract

After a brief summary of theory of mind from its inception in Premack and Woodruff’s ‘Does the chimpanzee have a theory of mind?’ and in the work of Nicholas Humphrey and others, this introduction highlights the rigorous distinction between theory of mind and empathy made popular in the field of social neuroscience by Tania Singer. Mirror neurons and the pros and cons of other distinctions, including ‘theory’ theory of mind (TT) versus ‘simulation’ theory of mind (ST) and ‘cognitive’ versus ‘affective’ empathy are also discussed. Some shortcomings in recent scholarship that attempts to examine the confluence between theory of mind and literature are also noted, and it is suggested that the literary genre par excellence for staging these issues is science fiction.