Towards a Comparative Study of Animal Consciousness
Biological Theory August 30, 2022 DOI: 10.1007/s13752-022-00409-x (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Theoretical or philosophical paper Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Topics | Philosophy of mind |
| Key points | Argues that comparing the life histories of gastropods and arthropods, using the pathological complexity thesis and state-based behavioral life history theory, can illuminate the origins and function of consciousness. |
Abstract
In order to develop a true biological science of consciousness, we have to remove humans from the center of reference and develop a bottom-up comparative study of animal minds, as Donald Griffin intended with his call for a “cognitive ethology.” In this article, I make use of the pathological complexity thesis (Veit 2022a, b, c) to show that we can firmly ground a comparative study of animal consciousness by drawing on the resources of state-based behavioral life history theory. By comparing the different life histories of gastropods and arthropods, we will be able to make better sense of the possible origins of consciousness and its function for organisms in their natural environments.
Citations in the library
Cited by 8
- Health, consciousness, and the evolution of subjects. Synthese 2023
- Extrapolating Other Consciousnesses: The Prospects and Limits of Analogical Abduction Philosophy of Science August 27, 2025
- How to Live in the Moment: The Methodology and Limitations of Evolutionary Research on Consciousness. Cognitive Science March 1, 2025
- A multidimensional approach to the self in non-human animals through the Pattern Theory of Self. Frontiers in Psychology 2025
- Emergence ex Machina: Correlates of Consciousness Qeios December 24, 2024
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Cites 10
- Dimensions of Animal Consciousness. Trends in Cognitive Sciences August 20, 2020
- Animal sentience Philosophy Compass March 17, 2022
- The Origins of Consciousness or the War of the Five Dimensions Biological Theory August 25, 2022
- Health, consciousness, and the evolution of subjects. Synthese 2023
- Complexity and the Evolution of Consciousness Biological Theory September 14, 2022
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