The sense of 'I am' does not involve direct awareness of 'I', the locus of attention, the mind's eye, which is the logical counterpart and therefore always excluded from its focus.
If reflexive consciousness is intrinsically a multiplicity, where subjectivity, reality and all meaning are a network effect of reflexive relations with other instances of consciousness, then, in principle, we already have the capacity for instantaneous access to the subjective states of others, to their experiences and states of mind. On the other hand, our individualised motives and intentions may interfere with and limit this access, allowing only sporadic glimpses through the eyes of another at the margins of awareness, perhaps only when we momentarily forget our identity and, on some fundamental level, relate to someone else with perfect reflexivity, without the interference of our own will.
I have read that psychopaths understand the rest of us almost perfectly (not sure if true, but maybe it is since they're so able to dupe us). On the other hand, I try at almost every step to see the other guy's point of view in order to understand him and relate to him as best I can, and I just get it wrong a lot of the time. The psycho who doesn't care gets it right; the person who makes an effort gets it wrong, which is odd.
A psychopath may have the kind of understanding that approximates the predator/prey relationship, but this relationship is not reflexive.
Regarding the ability to see through another persons eyes i did not mean just to understand what they think or see, but to actually see the same image as if with their eyes.
If reflexive consciousness is intrinsically a multiplicity, where subjectivity, reality and all meaning are a network effect of reflexive relations with other instances of consciousness, then, in principle, we already have the capacity for instantaneous access to the subjective states of others, to their experiences and states of mind. On the other hand, our individualised motives and intentions may interfere with and limit this access, allowing only sporadic glimpses through the eyes of another at the margins of awareness, perhaps only when we momentarily forget our identity and, on some fundamental level, relate to someone else with perfect reflexivity, without the interference of our own will.
I have read that psychopaths understand the rest of us almost perfectly (not sure if true, but maybe it is since they're so able to dupe us). On the other hand, I try at almost every step to see the other guy's point of view in order to understand him and relate to him as best I can, and I just get it wrong a lot of the time. The psycho who doesn't care gets it right; the person who makes an effort gets it wrong, which is odd.
A psychopath may have the kind of understanding that approximates the predator/prey relationship, but this relationship is not reflexive.
Regarding the ability to see through another persons eyes i did not mean just to understand what they think or see, but to actually see the same image as if with their eyes.
Ok good. Yes, that makes sense; seeing the same image is what makes our reality.