EMPATHY AND THE EXTENDED MIND

I draw upon the conceptual resources of the extended mind thesis (EM) to analyze empathy and interpersonal understand- ing. Against the dominant mentalistic paradigm, I argue that empa- thy is fundamentally an extended bodily activity and that much of our social understanding happens outside of the head. First, I look at how the two dominant models of interpersonal understanding, theory theory and simulation theory, portray the cognitive link between folk psychology and empathy. Next, I challenge their internalist ortho- doxy and offer an alternative "extended" characterization of empa- thy. In support of this characterization, I analyze some narratives of individuals with Moebius syndrome, a kind of expressive deficit re- sulting from bilateral facial paralysis. I conclude by discussing how a Zen Buddhist ethics of responsiveness is helpful for articulating the practical significance of an extended, body-based account of empathy.