Beginning of Essay
Can I know what another person is thinking or feeling? If so, how? The problem of is a true philosophical enigma. It is apt to strike children with no philosophical education whatsoever, yet remains intractable to many academics. Broadly speaking, the problem can ....

Middle of Essay
.... by scepticism: either it aims to produce sceptical theories or it aims to refute them. And sceptics tend towards extremity in their doubts. It must be stated here and now that there are not, and never can be, any theories that prove demonstratively that other minds exist, or that I know others’ mental states. This is not what should be aimed at in attempting to solve the problem. As Austin puts it "To suppose that the question ‘How do I know that Tom is angry?’ is meant to mean ‘How do I introspect Tom’s feelings?’ is simply barking up the wrong gum-tree." Most philosophers agree that their theories only bestow a greater or lesser amoun ....