The Mind Club

Who belongs to the Mind Club, and what does it really mean to have a mind?

1. The Two Traits That Define a Mind

Minds are not randomly attributed; they are recognized based on two key traits: agency and experience. Agency is the ability to think, plan, and act deliberately, while experience involves feeling emotions and sensing the world. These two traits shape our understanding of what it means to have a mind.

Our perception of minds varies widely. For instance, a CEO is seen as having high agency because of their decision-making power, but they might not be recognized for their emotional range the way a baby is. Babies embody experience but lack the ability to plan or act intentionally. This classification highlights that minds aren't a simple in-or-out status; they're complex and dynamic.

Even within these definitions, individual circumstances can flip perceptions. A once-powerful CEO might lose his agency if incapacitated by illness, suddenly being seen more like a vulnerable feeler.

Examples

• Babies are vulnerable feelers because they experience emotions like fear but can't take deliberate, rational action.
• A robot that computes problems may be perceived as having agency but lacks the capacity to feel.
• A CEO's high agency reflects their ability to make strategic decisions, categorizing them as thinking doers.

2. Morality Shapes How Minds Are Judged

Morality often comes in pairs: someone who acts (the moral agent) and someone who receives the action (the moral patient). How we judge their morality depends on how we perceive their mind.

A baby punching a CEO seems harmless, while a CEO punching a baby comes across as cruel and intentional. This double standard arises because adults with high agency are held responsible for their actions, while beings with lower agency, like babies, are seen as incapable of deliberate harm.

Our treatment of others also depends on whether we see them as moral agents or patients. Vulnerable feelers, for instance, are seen as moral patients who deserve protection but aren't often held accountable for wrongdoing.

Examples

• A CEO hitting someone is seen as deliberate and unacceptable.
• A baby crying in response to fear is excused because it lacks agency for rational action.
• A vulnerable pet, like a dog, is often perceived as needing protection rather than being held morally accountable.

3. Dehumanization Allows Poor Treatment

People often deny others their mental traits to justify mistreatment. This psychological process, called dehumanization, helps individuals numb their guilt and rationalize harmful actions.

Dehumanization can occur in two ways: animalization (denying someone agency) and mechanization (denying someone experience). By perceiving an individual as lacking cognitive capabilities or emotions, people can excuse their abusive behavior.

Historical and wartime examples show how dehumanization has been used to strip people of their humanity, making inhumane actions seem acceptable. Painting people as animals or machines has long been a tool for justifying cruelty.

Examples

• Colonizers describing African natives as “savages” to rationalize controlling them.
• U.S. World War II propaganda depicting Japanese individuals as unfeeling, tireless machines.
• Soldiers convincing themselves their enemies lack minds to ease the moral burden of war.

4. Intentionality Is Often Assumed

In uncertain situations, people are inclined to assume that actions and events are intentional. This tendency to see intentionality everywhere has evolutionary benefits.

For survival, it's better to suspect intent, like assuming a rustling bush hides a lion rather than dismissing it as the wind. This type of thinking reflects our bias to err on the side of caution, even in ambiguous scenarios.

However, this survival mechanism can lead to misunderstandings and even paranoia. For example, attributing malicious intent to innocuous events can create unnecessary fear or hostility.

Examples

• A person running from what they think is a stalking predator but turns out to be the wind.
• Kenneth Parks, who killed while sleepwalking but had no conscious intent to harm, was later acquitted.
• A conspiracy believer projecting intent onto natural events, like flu outbreaks.

5. Minds Can Be Denied or Hidden

The concept of cryptominds refers to beings whose mental traits spark debate. These might include God, robots, or even people in vegetative states. Whether they “have” a mind depends on our perspective.

For example, God is often seen as a powerful thinking doer, while a comatose patient is perceived as a vulnerable feeler. Yet perceptions can vary wildly between individuals and cultures, showing how subjective the concept of a mind can be.

Alan Turing’s famous test probes the boundary—if something can convince others it has a mind, it is treated as though it has one, showing that minds are ultimately decided by perception.

Examples

• God seen as an omnipotent mind but not emotional.
• Robots passing the Turing Test, leading some to believe they "think."
• Persistent vegetative states sparking debate over whether the person remains “present.”

6. Perceptions Impact Moral Responsibility

Our judgments about someone’s morality are directly linked to how we perceive their mental attributes. When we view someone as a thinking doer, we hold them accountable; when we see them as a vulnerable feeler, we protect them.

This perception affects how society allocates rights and responsibilities, shaping laws and ethics. For instance, children and animals are protected primarily as moral patients.

This framework also explains how biases and stereotypes influence judgments. If a group is seen as lacking mental traits, they’re less likely to receive fair treatment.

Examples

• A baby is excused from harming because they’re a vulnerable feeler.
• Adults are punished for their actions, as they’re assumed to act with intent.
• Laws protecting animals reflect their status as moral patients.

7. Minds Are Not Fixed

Being part of the Mind Club isn’t static. New experiences, disabilities, or life stages can change how others view someone’s mental traits.

For instance, an injury that impairs decision-making could shift perceptions of agency, turning someone into more of a moral patient. Similarly, someone can regain or even gain agency and experience, shifting their Mind Club membership.

These changes have implications for the way society treats different groups and challenges traditional notions of identity.

Examples

• An illness leaving a CEO unable to plan shifts perceptions of his mind.
• Growing from a baby (vulnerable feeler) to an adult (thinking doer) changes one’s moral role.
• Recovery from a coma shifts someone from moral patient to an active participant.

8. Minds and Technology

Technology, especially AI, challenges our understanding of minds. If a machine convinces people it thinks and feels, does it truly have a mind? Our connection to it depends on perception.

For instance, virtual assistants like Siri might evoke empathy in some users but not others. These variations highlight the blurred boundaries between humans’ perception of organic and mechanical minds.

Technology forces us to rethink the allocation of mental traits and how these traits impact our ethical obligations toward nonhuman entities.

Examples

• AI agents passing Turing-like tests prompt recognition as “thinking.”
• Anthropomorphism of virtual assistants like Siri or Alexa.
• Robots in caregiving roles creating bonds with users, raising moral questions.

9. The Exclusivity of Your Own Mind

At the end of the day, the only mind you can truly confirm is your own. Understanding others’ minds is ultimately a matter of perception, meaning they’re as real as they appear to you.

This subjectivity applies universally, explaining why people can disagree so strongly about whether a being “has” a mind. Every mind, aside from your own, is conceptual rather than certain.

This unique understanding defines the exclusivity—and mystery—of the Mind Club.

Examples

• Philosophers pondering whether other people’s minds exist.
• Disagreements about cryptominds like animals or AI.
• The personal certainty of your own thoughts and awareness.

Takeaways

1. When judging others, consider both their capacity for thought (agency) and their ability to feel (experience). This can lead to more compassionate and accurate decisions.
2. Avoid denying someone's humanity by reducing them to unthinking or unemotional traits—this mindset easily leads to harm or intolerance.
3. Be cautious about attributing intent to ambiguous situations, but recognize the evolutionary advantage of this tendency in mitigating potential danger.