Hinsides

Hinsides is a term used in certain strands of cognitive philosophy, speculative neuroscience, and science fiction studies to denote the internal, subjective aspects of an agent's mental life. It refers to the private experiences, feelings, thoughts, intentions, and qualia that are accessible primarily to the agent themselves and not directly observable by others. The concept is intended to distinguish private inner states from publicly observable behavior and from the physical substrates of cognition.

The word hinsides is a neologism that has appeared in late 21st century discussions to describe inside states; it is not a standard term in mainstream neuroscience but is used in speculative debates and thought experiments about artificial agents and human-robot interaction. The term is often employed to explore how internal content might influence decision making, action selection, and interactions with others, especially in scenarios involving autonomy and empathy.

Hinsides are inherently private, dynamic, and context-sensitive. They can include memories, moods, projected goals, and imagined futures. Because they are not directly accessible, researchers rely on self-reports and indirect inference from behavior and neural correlates. In artificial systems, hinsides can be implemented as internal state representations that influence decisions, learning, and goal setting, even when outward behavior remains observable.

As a concept, hinsides sits near discussions of qualia and phenomenology but emphasizes the private organization of experience rather than just raw sensory content. Not all philosophers agree on the boundaries of hinsides, and some argue the term risks reifying private experiences that cannot be adequately accessed or validated.

Applications and implications include considerations for AI privacy, design of empathic interfaces, and literary or media analysis of character psychology. See also qualia, phenomenology, subjectivity.