Animal Mind — Human Mind

Animal Mind — Human Mind
Author :
Publisher : Springer
Total Pages : 0
Release :
ISBN-10 : 3642684718
ISBN-13 : 9783642684715
Rating : 4/5 (18 Downloads)

Synopsis Animal Mind — Human Mind by : D. R. Griffin

the oleic acid on a live and wriggling sister or mother and refrain from evicting her from our hive. But does the occur rence of unintelligent behavior suffice to demonstrate the total absence of mental experience under any circumstances? Ethologists from some distant galaxy could easily discern ex amples of stupid and maladaptive behavior in our own species. But do instances of human stupidity prove that none of us is ever consciously aware of what he is dOing? No available evi dence compels us to believe that insects, or any other animals, experience any sort of consciousness, or intentionally plan any of their behavior. But neither are we compelled to believe the contrary. In areas where data are few and of limited rel evance, dogmatic negativity can easily limit what scientists even try to investigate, and thus perhaps delay or prevent im portant insights and discoveries. Many of the participants agreed that a good starting point would be to consider what we know of our own thinking, subjec tive feelings, and consciousness, and then move on to inquire whether other species experience anything similar. Such an ap proach was once considered fallaciously anthropomorphic. But it seems now to be widely if not universally recognized that this is a serious objection only if one has already assumed in advance that conscious thinking is uniquely human, and the accu sation of anthropomorphism is then merely a reiteration of the prior conviction.

Human and Animal Minds

Human and Animal Minds
Author :
Publisher : Oxford University Press, USA
Total Pages : 233
Release :
ISBN-10 : 9780198843702
ISBN-13 : 0198843704
Rating : 4/5 (02 Downloads)

Synopsis Human and Animal Minds by : Peter Carruthers

Claims about consciousness in animals are often made in support of their moral standing. Peter Carruthers argues that there is no fact of the matter about animal consciousness and it is of no scientific or ethical significance. Sympathy for an animal can be grounded in its mental states, but should not rely on assumptions about its consciousness.

Animal Minds and Human Morals

Animal Minds and Human Morals
Author :
Publisher : Cornell University Press
Total Pages : 284
Release :
ISBN-10 : 0801482984
ISBN-13 : 9780801482984
Rating : 4/5 (84 Downloads)

Synopsis Animal Minds and Human Morals by : Richard Sorabji

Sorabji surveys a vast range of Greek philosophical texts and considers how classical discussions of animals' capacities intersect with central questions, not only in ethics but in the definition of human rationality as well.

Animal Minds

Animal Minds
Author :
Publisher : University of Chicago Press
Total Pages : 372
Release :
ISBN-10 : 9780226227122
ISBN-13 : 022622712X
Rating : 4/5 (22 Downloads)

Synopsis Animal Minds by : Donald R. Griffin

In Animal Minds, Donald R. Griffin takes us on a guided tour of the recent explosion of scientific research on animal mentality. Are animals consciously aware of anything, or are they merely living machines, incapable of conscious thoughts or emotional feelings? How can we tell? Such questions have long fascinated Griffin, who has been a pioneer at the forefront of research in animal cognition for decades, and is recognized as one of the leading behavioral ecologists of the twentieth century. With this new edition of his classic book, which he has completely revised and updated, Griffin moves beyond considerations of animal cognition to argue that scientists can and should investigate questions of animal consciousness. Using examples from studies of species ranging from chimpanzees and dolphins to birds and honeybees, he demonstrates how communication among animals can serve as a "window" into what animals think and feel, just as human speech and nonverbal communication tell us most of what we know about the thoughts and feelings of other people. Even when they don't communicate about it, animals respond with sometimes surprising versatility to new situations for which neither their genes nor their previous experiences have prepared them, and Griffin discusses what these behaviors can tell us about animal minds. He also reviews the latest research in cognitive neuroscience, which has revealed startling similarities in the neural mechanisms underlying brain functioning in both humans and other animals. Finally, in four chapters greatly expanded for this edition, Griffin considers the latest scientific research on animal consciousness, pro and con, and explores its profound philosophical and ethical implications.

Experiencing Animal Minds

Experiencing Animal Minds
Author :
Publisher : Columbia University Press
Total Pages : 391
Release :
ISBN-10 : 9780231530767
ISBN-13 : 0231530765
Rating : 4/5 (67 Downloads)

Synopsis Experiencing Animal Minds by : Julie A. Smith

In these multidisciplinary essays, academic scholars and animal experts explore the nature of animal minds and the methods humans conventionally and unconventionally use to understand them. The collection features chapters by scholars working in psychology, sociology, history, philosophy, literary studies, and art, as well as chapters by and about people who live and work with animals, including the founder of a sanctuary for chickens, a fur trapper, a popular canine psychologist, a horse trainer, and an art photographer who captures everyday contact between humans and their animal companions. Divided into five sections, the collection first considers the ways that humans live with animals and the influence of cohabitation on their perceptions of animals' minds. It follows with an examination of anthropomorphism as both a guide and hindrance to mapping animal consciousness. Chapters next examine the effects of embodiment on animals' minds and the role of animal-human interembodiment on humans' understandings of animals' minds. Final sections identify historical representations of difference between human and animal consciousness and their relevance to pre-established cultural attitudes, as well as the ways that representations of animals' minds target particular audiences and sometimes produce problematic outcomes. The editors conclude with a discussion of the relationship between the book's chapters and two pressing themes: the connection between human beliefs about animals' minds and human ethical behavior, and the challenges and conditions for knowing the minds of animals. By inviting readers to compare and contrast multiple, uncommon points of view, this collection offers a unique encounter with the diverse perspectives and theories now shaping animal studies.

The Philosophy of Animal Minds

The Philosophy of Animal Minds
Author :
Publisher : Cambridge University Press
Total Pages : 321
Release :
ISBN-10 : 9781139481021
ISBN-13 : 1139481029
Rating : 4/5 (21 Downloads)

Synopsis The Philosophy of Animal Minds by : Robert W. Lurz

This volume is a collection of fourteen essays by leading philosophers on issues concerning the nature, existence, and our knowledge of animal minds. The nature of animal minds has been a topic of interest to philosophers since the origins of philosophy, and recent years have seen significant philosophical engagement with the subject. However, there is no volume that represents the current state of play in this important and growing field. The purpose of this volume is to highlight the state of the debate. The issues which are covered include whether and to what degree animals think in a language or in iconic structures, possess concepts, are conscious, self-aware, metacognize, attribute states of mind to others, and have emotions, as well as issues pertaining to our knowledge of and the scientific standards for attributing mental states to animals.

The Animal Mind

The Animal Mind
Author :
Publisher :
Total Pages : 0
Release :
ISBN-10 : 1315771896
ISBN-13 : 9781315771892
Rating : 4/5 (96 Downloads)

Synopsis The Animal Mind by : Kristin Andrews

The study of animal cognition raises profound questions about the minds of animals and philosophy of mind itself. Aristotle argued that humans are the only animal to laugh, but in recent experiments rats have also been shown to laugh. In other experiments, dogs have been shown to respond appropriately to over two hundred words in human language. In this introduction to the philosophy of animal minds Kristin Andrews introduces and assesses the essential topics, problems and debates as they cut across animal cognition and philosophy of mind. She addresses the following key topics: what is cognition, and what is it to have a mind? What questions should we ask to determine whether behaviour has a cognitive basis? the science of animal minds explained: ethology, behaviourist psychology, and cognitive ethology rationality in animals animal consciousness: what does research into pain and the emotions reveal? What can empirical evidence about animal behaviour tell us about philosophical theories of consciousness? does animal cognition involve belief and concepts; do animals have a 'Language of Thought'? animal communication other minds: do animals attribute 'mindedness' to other creatures? moral reasoning and ethical behaviour in animals animal cognition and memory. Extensive use of empirical examples and case studies is made throughout the book. These include Cheney and Seyfarth's ververt monkey research, Thorndike's cat puzzle boxes, Jensen's research into humans and chimpanzees and the ultimatum game, Pankseep and Burgdorf's research on rat laughter, and Clayton and Emery's research on memory in scrub-jays. Additional features such as chapter summaries, annotated further reading and a glossary make this an indispensable introduction to those teaching philosophy of mind, animal cognition. It will also be an excellent resource for those in fields such as ethology, biology and psychology.

Beyond the Brain

Beyond the Brain
Author :
Publisher : Princeton University Press
Total Pages : 282
Release :
ISBN-10 : 9780691165561
ISBN-13 : 0691165564
Rating : 4/5 (61 Downloads)

Synopsis Beyond the Brain by : Louise Barrett

When a chimpanzee stockpiles rocks as weapons or when a frog sends out mating calls, we might easily assume these animals know their own motivations--that they use the same psychological mechanisms that we do. But as Beyond the Brain indicates, this is a dangerous assumption because animals have different evolutionary trajectories, ecological niches, and physical attributes. How do these differences influence animal thinking and behavior? Removing our human-centered spectacles, Louise Barrett investigates the mind and brain and offers an alternative approach for understanding animal and human cognition. Drawing on examples from animal behavior, comparative psychology, robotics, artificial life, developmental psychology, and cognitive science, Barrett provides remarkable new insights into how animals and humans depend on their bodies and environment--not just their brains--to behave intelligently. Barrett begins with an overview of human cognitive adaptations and how these color our views of other species, brains, and minds. Considering when it is worth having a big brain--or indeed having a brain at all--she investigates exactly what brains are good at. Showing that the brain's evolutionary function guides action in the world, she looks at how physical structure contributes to cognitive processes, and she demonstrates how these processes employ materials and resources in specific environments. Arguing that thinking and behavior constitute a property of the whole organism, not just the brain, Beyond the Brain illustrates how the body, brain, and cognition are tied to the wider world.

The Animal Mind

The Animal Mind
Author :
Publisher : Times Books
Total Pages : 236
Release :
ISBN-10 : 0716760355
ISBN-13 : 9780716760351
Rating : 4/5 (55 Downloads)

Synopsis The Animal Mind by : James L. Gould

In this volume, James and Carol Gould go in search of the animal mind. Taking a fresh look at the evidence on animal capacities for perception, thought, and language, the Goulds show how scientists attempt to distinguish actions that go beyond the innate or automatically learned. They provide captivating, beautifully-illustrated descriptions of a number of clever and curious animal behaviors - some revealed to be more or less preprogrammed, some seemingly proof of a well-developed mental life.

The Animal Mind

The Animal Mind
Author :
Publisher :
Total Pages : 360
Release :
ISBN-10 : HARVARD:32044106200223
ISBN-13 :
Rating : 4/5 (23 Downloads)

Synopsis The Animal Mind by : Margaret Floy Washburn