The Sense of Someone Appearing There: A Philosophical Investigation into Other Minds, Deceased People, and Animated Persona
Masahiro Morioka
Human Studies August 1, 2023 DOI: 10.1007/s10746-023-09682-6 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Theoretical or philosophical paper Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Citations | 1 |
| Key points | Argues that the felt presence of a person-like something on non-biological objects, and on human bodies, arises through an "animation" process shaped by surrounding factors rather than reflecting an inner self-consciousness. Proposes the concept of "the supremacy of surface-ness over behind-ness" and offers an eight-pattern categorization of how an animated persona appears. |
Abstract
Abstract We sometimes feel the presence of a person-like something on a non-biological object, such as a memento from a deceased family member or a well-engineered, human-shaped robot. This feeling—the sense of someone appearing there—has not been extensively investigated by philosophers. In this paper, I employ examples from previous studies, my own experiences, and thought experiments to conduct a philosophical analysis of the mechanism of the emergence of this person-like something by using the concept of an animated persona. This animation process works not only in cases of deceased people and non-biological objects but also in cases of a living, conscious human being. This suggests that the appearance of the other mind on a human body is not necessarily a reflection of that human’s inner self-consciousness but can be considered a personhood that appears, animated by various surrounding factors. I also propose the concept of “the supremacy of surface-ness over behind-ness”. Finally, I categorize the appearance of an animated persona on a human body or an object into eight patterns and compare their characteristics.