The hatching of consciousness.
History and philosophy of the life sciences November 22, 2021 DOI: 10.1007/s40656-021-00472-w (opens in new tab) via PubMed
Summary
AI-generated from the abstractAn essay review contrasts two major theories of animal consciousness: Peter Godfrey-Smith's view that subjective experience is widespread across many animal lineages and Joseph LeDoux's claim that consciousness depends on higher-order brain circuits found only in mammals and birds. The author discusses the motivations behind each picture and attempts to find a middle path between them, weighing evidence from evolution, emotion, and the nature of phenomenal experience.
Study at a glance
| Characteristics | Essay review Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Keywords | Emotion Evolution Phenomenal consciousness Sentience Subjective experience |
| Citations | 24 |
| Key finding | Argues that the two books offer opposing accounts of animal consciousness and that a middle path between them is warranted. |
Abstract
Peter Godfrey-Smith's Metazoa and Joseph LeDoux's The Deep History of Ourselves present radically different big pictures regarding the nature, evolution and distribution of consciousness in animals. In this essay review, I discuss the motivations behind these big pictures and try to steer a course between them.