Are Animals Conscious - Essay Example

Module Question for the Portfolio Reading Set: Are Animals Conscious? INTRODUCTION Scientists consensually agree that what distinctly differentiates humans from other animals is the ability to rationalize. Man is regarded as a rational being that has the capability of weighing actions with consequences and engaging in high cognitive processes such as judgment, perception, and abstract thinking among others. However, there has been a debate about whether animals have the same consciousness as that evident in humans. For a long time, the question of animal consciousness has been argued by different perspectives giving their interpretation based on their studies and researchers, as well as the subjective analysis of the problem. This phenomenon is specifically very central to the comprehensive understanding of the psychological dynamics of animals. This has seen various researches conducted and articles documented in an attempt to explain the mystery surrounding animal consciousness. This essay seeks to evaluate various arguments presented by varied perspectives regarding the issue of animal consciousness and in the end come up a concrete conclusion on the problem. It is, indeed, reasonable to claim nonhuman animals are conscious. Consciousness, in Psychology, is the mental status in which an organism is cognizant of the environment in which they are. A conscious individual or organism is that which can changes in the environment and respond to the sensations after some cognitive processing. For example, one is conscious when they can respond to some instructions given verbally via a language they understand. Conscious humans would respond to (unless they deliberately choose not to) environmental triggers within their environments. According to Stow, scientists have pointed out that the there is an evolution in the area of neuroscience and it is necessary that the previously held positions be revised. The scientist agree that the internal states of an animal can be quivered artificially to demonstrate the animals are indeed conscious. It is possible to associate a particular internal condition with environmental behavior both in human and in animal experimentally. African gray parrots are believed to possess virtually dominant, high-level consciousness that resembles that of men. In order to prove this, scientists have discovered that a ‘treatment’ applied in the sub cortical region of both the humans and birds brings out the same behavioral outcome; an indication that nonhuman animals have some extent of consciousness. The emotional response of the two is similar when certain regions of the brain are influenced (Stow). The fact that animals have physiological parts in their bodies (as scientifically proved) that are specialized for regulating consciousness is an evidence that indeed animals are conscious. Similarly, Caldwell and Lowe sought to demonstrate the argument that nonhuman animals have intelligence just like humans using the case study of Pepperberg lab experiment with two parrots. This perspective believes that birds named Alex and Griffins (of different ages) have, just like the humans, the thinking and language comprehension skills. Trained to speak in English, the two birds evidence the capability of nonhuman animals to demonstrate conscious competencies that have been believed only humans possess. It sounds mystical to believe a bird can distinguish colors and identify their varieties; something that even humans sometimes struggle with. Differentiating colors involves a lot of cognitive processes that cannot be achieved if not deliberate efforts are put. Surprisingly, the parrots have cognitively developed to an extent they can reason and pinpoint some of the aspects that differentiate various items. There is no doubt that the two birds are consciously active. The Parrot’s intelligence supersedes that of most children of ‘his’ age (4 years) as it can solve relatively complex puzzles (Caldwell and Jeffry). This reinforces the argument that nonhuman animals are indeed conscious as the experiment carried out demonstrate the bird’s ability to engage in complex mental processes. According to Dawkins (114), consciousness is an aspect that has influenced the well-being of animals extensively. Studying consciousness is prime to the understanding of the welfare of animals. However, the elusiveness of studying consciousness is the reason most scientists in the past ignored studying consciousness in animals. It was believed that there was no way it was possible to prove evidentially if animals are conscious. The strong reliance on introspection; a method of expressing the internal states individually, as the only way to determine what happens on the inside of an individual rendered consciousness in non-human animals unachievable. This went on until Donald Griffin concentrated on evaluating the compound cognitive processes of animals. Cognitive ethology, a field interested in investigating the retrieval of conscious experiences and intellect of animals became predominant. Consequently, phenomenal consciousness became a distinct field that focused on the affective states of animals. Animal consciousness has been studied based on the understanding of the physiological changes that can be observed when certain emotions are triggered and vice versa. The link between neurotransmission and the emotional changes are good indicators of animal consciousness. According to Dawkins (114), bodily reactions that are observed when an animal (whether human or nonhumans) is exposed to some emotional condition like sex is generally the same and this reinforces the phenomenal consciousness scientists position. Also, behavior-wise, emotions are found to be the drivers of the actions animals take; both human and nonhuman. The negative emotions that are unpleasant to human are also avoided by other animals. Just like humans, nonhumans evade ‘anguish’ that may come in the form of pain. They do this by expressing their fright and anxieties in times of danger (Dawkins, 114).The revelations by Griffins among other scientists brought a new outlook as it became evident animals could perceive and process information abstractly. Griffins (16) holds that it cannot be disputed that animals think. The assumption in this perspective is that all animals have the conscious capabilities although their skills are much lower than those of humans. It is conceptualized that depending on the circumstance, animals will demonstrate different levels of consciousness. Griffin (13) admits that in most cases, animals will be engaged in various behaviors with little or no cognitive awareness but immediately the situation arises, the animal will automatically scale up its consciousness. From this view, two different types of consciousness become salient. Primary consciousness is the overall cognizance of the surrounding while reflective consciousness is the awareness of one’s feelings, thoughts, emotions among others. Nonhumans, therefore, seem to be endowed only with primary consciousness that makes them have a low-level awareness (Griffin 15-17). This position buttresses the claim that animals have conscious. The argument that animals have consciousness lower than that of humans further asserts the position that indeed some shreds of cognizance exist. Finally, Dennett’s contribution to the understanding animal consciousness cannot be overlooked. According to Dennett (691), the question of animal consciousness can be best addressed through moral perspectives that underpinned on the behavioral observation. The logical reasoning makes it easier to gain a deep insight into this matter. For example, vultures that feed on rotten meat show a different reaction as that of human. That which is bad to humans is, observably, enjoyed by the vultures. The fact they can differentiate those meats that have lasted for more than two days raises eyebrows. Their selective feeding behavior is seen to be a deliberate, conscious process that involves some consciousness. (Dennett 691). Based on tis reading, there is no doubt animals are conscious. Engaging in selective perception is a real demonstration of how conscious the vultures are. Sensation and perception are sophisticated process of the mind that can only be undertaken by animals that possess conscious abilities. CONCLUSION The five readings evaluated above all confirm that, indeed, animals have consciousness. This has been a critical issue that has seen many scientists give up. As seen, many scholars agree that nonhuman animals are cognizant of their environment. However, the main difference that is observed when compared with humans is that their consciousness level is low. The high/complex development of human brain makes it easy for a man to comprehend difficult issues within the environment. The study done with parrots is a real eye-opener in this study as it shows how much consciousness animals have. The five readings have proved nonhuman animals possess conscious abilities that make them exhibit sophisticated mental behaviors. It is, therefore, accurate and reasonable to claim animals have consciousness. There is no doubt animals are conscious as demonstrated by the readings. Works Cited Caldwell, Mark, and Jeffrey Lowe. Polly Wanna Ph.D? Discover Magazine. Web. 21 May 2015. Dawkins, Marian. Animal Welfare and the Paradox of Animal Consciousness. Advances in the Study of Behavior 47 (2015):114 Print. Dennett, Daniel C. Animal Consciousness: What Matters and Why. Social Research 62.3 (1995): 691. Print. Griffin, Donald R. Animal Minds. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2001. Print. Stow, Phillip. The Cambridge Declaration on Consciousness. N.p., 2012. Web. 21 May 2015. Read More