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If a sociopath could demonstrate all the behavior we associate with empathy including the right responses and actions then i'm extremely comfortable saying that

If a sociopath could demonstrate all the behavior we associate with empathy including the right responses and actions then i'm extremely comfortable saying that sociopath understands empathy and any other conclusion is bogus and makes no sense. Internal processes don't matter. Only results. If this hypothetical sociopath was able to respond exactly like any empathetic person in any scenario then there is no actual distinction. In reality of course, the sociopath would slip up somewhere. But that just proves my point, real distinctions manifest in results. If it can't then it's not meaningful.

lxgr 3y ago
But internal processes determine the results, and being able to (somewhat) predict them is arguably an important basis of human interactions and by extension society. You're essentially saying that theory of mind is either pointless or does not exist; scientific and just observational day-to-day evidence says otherwise. > real distinctions manifest in results Yes, but only in some situations. If the situation is a test, a significantly specialized and/or advanced intelligence will be able to cheat it and be able to conceal its internal distinctions.