Stephen Downes

This is a fascinating investigation. The idea is that we can track human development of a theory of mind (that is, the way we infer to other people's thoughts and feelings) through their development of tools. "Imitating, linking another's procedure to their goal, means using a theory of mind, and in child development, having a theory of mind means being able to link symbols to sounds, because you understand what others intend and can copy them."