The Mirror test is the test for self consciousness. Does an organism respond to its reflection the same as it responds to other organisms or is there a difference. This is the 1st Mirror. Non social animals will treat their reflection with territorial behaviour and escalate into violence as the reflection becomes more and more threatening. There is a paradigm shift where the organism grasps the reflection as self and stops the loop.
There is a second mirror however. Individual organisms can be trapped in escalating violence as each becomes more hostile to its opponent, who becomes more hostile as a result and justifies escalation. Normally escalation ends when one side judges itself to be likely to lose a conflict and the better option is submission. In the case where opponents are similarly matched conflict is the only conclusion hence the problem with the first mirror. Analogous to the 1st mirror there is a paradigm shift where the organism grasps the sense of “us” and doesn’t escalate conflict with other individuals.
