Comparative Consciousness Research in Ecological Context: Elephants, Macaques, Plovers, and a Case Against Plant Consciousness
Adaptive Behavior February 1, 2026 DOI: 10.1177/10597123251413199 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Theoretical or philosophical paper Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Key points | Argues that the pathological complexity thesis helps explain links between life-history complexity and consciousness-related capacities across species, citing piping plover intentionality, bonnet macaque self-awareness and mindreading, and elephant phenomenology as supporting cases, and addresses Yilmaz's case for plant consciousness. |
Abstract
In this article, I demonstrate the value of the pathological complexity thesis for comparative consciousness research. I discuss how Ristau’s piping plover research illuminates links between life-history complexity and intentionality. How Sinha’s bonnet macaque studies demonstrate how social drivers of pathological complexity predict self-awareness and mindreading capacities. And how Ross’s discussion of elephant life histories and consciousness allows us to compare the phenomenology if humans and elephants. Finally, I address Yilmaz’s discussion of the case for plant consciousness.
Citations in the library
Cites 9
- Dimensions of Animal Consciousness. Trends in Cognitive Sciences August 20, 2020
- 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
- Précis of: "Birds, Bats and Minds: Tales of a Revolutionary Scientist, Donald R. Griffin" Animal Sentience August 3, 2026
- Pathological Complexity and the Function of Consciousness in Nature: Part 1 Adaptive Behavior May 30, 2025
and 4 more in the library