The ‘egocentric predicament’ is the idea that, as people, we can at most only be certain of our own thoughts. The external world and the minds of other people are unknown to us. So there is always a need to bridge the gap between our thoughts and our experiences of the world outside our heads. Over the centuries, philosophers have considered various ways in which the gap can be closed. Lacking any final answers from philosophy and science, we need to somehow close this gap ourselves, so that we can get on with the business of living.

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