'Philosophers on the theory of mind': a terminological slip in Anthropic's Claude Constitution
rgblong · x · 2026-11-05
rgblong flags a likely terminological error in Anthropic's newly published Claude Constitution: the text cites 'the most eminent philosophers on the theory of mind' taking AI moral status seriously. The author argues Anthropic meant philosophy of mind — 'the theory of mind' isn't common usage, and 'theory of mind' is a cognitive science term for the ability to attribute mental states to others, a different concept. The passage sits in the Constitution's key section on Claude's moral status and model welfare.
Related event: Claude Constitution called out for misusing 'theory of mind'(2 posts)→
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