Tense Bees and Shell-Shocked Crabs: Are Animals Conscious?
Michael Tye
Abstract
Do birds have feelings? What about fish—can fish feel pain? Do insects have experiences? Can a honeybee feel anxious? If trees are not conscious but fish are, what is the objective difference between them that results in this? How do we decide which living creatures have experiences and which ones are zombies—seemingly intelligent beings that lack experiences? Can there be a conscious robot? This book looks into the underlying analytical issues and the relevant scientific research on animal cognition to find philosophically rigorous, empirically informed answers to these questions. In order to ... More
Do birds have feelings? What about fish—can fish feel pain? Do insects have experiences? Can a honeybee feel anxious? If trees are not conscious but fish are, what is the objective difference between them that results in this? How do we decide which living creatures have experiences and which ones are zombies—seemingly intelligent beings that lack experiences? Can there be a conscious robot? This book looks into the underlying analytical issues and the relevant scientific research on animal cognition to find philosophically rigorous, empirically informed answers to these questions. In order to do this, an epistemological framework suitable for tackling such issues is developed and then, in light of recent empirical research, applied broadly. In particular, the book argues that is rational to prefer the hypothesis that consciousness extends a considerable way down the phylogenetic scale––farther than many would expect. This result has both theoretical implications and practical ones for how should behave toward other animals.
Keywords:
animals,
experience,
consciousness,
other minds,
philosophy,
science,
pain,
insects,
fish,
artificial intelligence
Bibliographic Information
| Print publication date: 2017 |
Print ISBN-13: 9780190278014 |
| Published to Oxford Scholarship Online: November 2016 |
DOI:10.1093/acprof:oso/9780190278014.001.0001 |
