Human and Animal Mental Causation
Angela Bischof
Analítica October 22, 2026 DOI: 10.48204/2805-1815.11500 (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 causal relevance of mental states in humans and in non-human animals must stand or fall together: some human mental states are causally irrelevant if and only if this is also true of some animals, and mental causation occurs in some humans if and only if it also occurs in some animals. |
Abstract
Debates about whether conscious mental states can cause any physical or mental events have traditionally been about human beings; non-human animals (hereafter ‘animals’) are rarely the focus. This is understandable as studying animal minds has proven difficult. I cannot experience an animal’s phenomenology, I cannot ask an animal what beliefs and intentions she has, and I cannot know why an animal chose to behave in one way rather than another. Despite the epistemic limitations of examining animal minds, I will argue that some human mental states are causally irrelevant if and only if this is also true of some animals, and mental causation occurs in some humans if and only if it also occurs in some animals.