We are animals, and are conscious by definition.
On 9 May 1997, F. Frank LeFever wrote:
> I'm glad you restated the question: "are animals self conscious". In
> the sense of "self observent" and "self-responsive" etc., the question
> can be meaningfully approached. One line of research involves a
> paradigm testing limits of animals' abilities to notice and respond to
> themselves in a mirror in a way which suggests they know it is
> themselves, not another animal.
>> Can't give refs off-hand, but The Self was a recent 2-year theme of the
> speakers at Psychology Section meetings of The New York Academy of
> Sciences, and at least one session featured this line of work. Maybe
> published as Annals by now. Check http://www.nyas.org>> Possibly Henry Moss could dig up names of the speakers: hmoss at nyas.org>> The OTHER way of stating the question: do animals "have consciousness?"
> or "are animals conscious?" leads to the nonsense one sees when famous
> pundits solemnly debate whether COMPUTERS can be conscious without
> having the sense or the decency to doo what every freshman philosophy
> student is required to do: DEFINE THE TERM!
>> Never waste time even thinking about something that is not defined.
> "Conscious OF" in the sense of "responds this or that way TO" can be
> argued and evidence developed. "Conscious" sounds suspiciously like a
> reference to private experiences which can never be known directly by
> another. If this is what you mean, there is in principle NO WAY
> WHATSOEVER to know the answer (or even to say how an answer might be
> sought).
>> Frank LeFever
> New York Neuropsychology Group
> (Member of NYAS Psych Section Advisory Committee; past Chair)
>>>>>>>>> In <863084165.29277 at dejanews.com> hefeng at cz3.nus.sg writes:
> >
> >Is the aqusition of consciousness a gradual thing in evolution? Are
> >animals self conscious?
> >--------------------
> >He Feng
> >e904952p at hjc.edu.sg> >
> >-------------------==== Posted via Deja News
> ====-----------------------
> > http://www.dejanews.com/ Search, Read, Post to Usenet
>>>
