The sight of a police officer kicking several Muslims prompted me to ponder the deeper implications. It raised questions about the complicity of the state in perpetuating the dehumanization of Muslims, while also highlighting how individuals often act on their beliefs when presented with the opportunity.
………….
In human interactions, there’s a common tendency to presume a shared mindset with others. Yet, the intricacies of the mind remain a puzzle. This perennial question of what defines the mind has fascinated philosophers throughout history, notably Alan Turing, whose renowned test aims to blur the lines between human and artificial cognition.
Within these interactions, we discern other minds through two distinct dimensions: experience and agency. Experience embodies the capacity for moral emotions, while agency denotes self-control and accountability. This framework proves invaluable in navigating moral complexities in interpersonal dynamics, where actions are assessed against the perceived mental attributes involved. Morality, at its core, involves evaluating actions as morally good, bad, harmful, or benign, with the perceived harm contingent upon the perceived dimensions of the minds at play.
Consider an individual, X, interacting with another, Y. A third party deems an action immoral when Y demonstrates greater dimensions of experience and fewer dimensions of agency, indicating vulnerability. This judgment also hinges on whether X exercises self-control, thus illustrating how third parties perceive the mental states of both parties involved and judge their actions and moral implications of those actions.
Social circles and friendships often form based on perceptions of others’ mental attributes. Discrepancies in these perceptions frequently spark conflicts; for instance, differing perceptions between the affluent and the impoverished, or among various racial groups, can heighten tensions. In some instances, individuals from privileged backgrounds may dehumanize those from marginalized groups, perceiving them as possessing fewer dimensions of experience, as evidenced by a recent incident in Delhi where a higher-caste individual dismissed the pain of a lower-caste victim.
Moreover, when authorities or the majority neglect to denounce such actions, they inadvertently validate them. This perpetuates the belief that individuals with “lesser” minds do not feel pain, further marginalizing and disenfranchising already vulnerable groups, who often find themselves excluded from political processes and reduced to mere voters influenced by emotional appeals.
…….
The perception of other minds and subsequent actions based on these perceptions are deeply intertwined with social norms and historical injustices that individuals carry with them. These biases and assumed superiority often shape how people view and interact with others, perpetuating prejudices and reinforcing existing power dynamics.
It’s a profound question whether individuals truly have the capacity to treat other minds as equal to their own.
