Biology 338: Lecture 24Spring 1997

Animal Minds/Animal Rights

  1. What is consciousness?

  2. What are the levels of consciousness?
    1. Perceptual consciousness
    2. Reflective consciousness

  3. Is there any evidence that animals act consciously?
    1. Communicative behavior
      1. Gives us a window into an animal's mind or its thinking
      2. Examples
        1. Vervet monkeys
        2. Honey bees
    2. Insightful behavior
      1. Dealing with a novel situation in an ingenious, flexible manner
      2. Examples
        1. Chimpanzees
        2. Lions
        3. Beavers
        4. Ravens