ABSTRACT
This chapter introduces the theory of mind – how we infer the mental activity of others, and reflexively, how they infer ours – as related to the ancient world. Theory of mind is a key concept in various area of cognitive studies, but I focus on recent anthropological treatments emphasizing its culturally constructed basis over its universal features. While sources do not allow for a detailed construction of any single ancient culture’s theory of mind, one aspect is clearly traceable through surviving ancient Near Eastern and Graeco-Roman texts: the conviction that one’s thoughts are accessible to others, whether divine or human. Early Christian sources in particular warn that private thoughts are perceived by God, by certain holy persons, and, at the last judgment, by everyone; monastic writings in particular provide evidence for how this sense of personal cognitive accessibility was developed in disciples.
