Animal Behaviour - Consciousness
In 2001, Dawkins described consciousness as "the greatest remaining mystery in biology," highlighting how much is still unknown about how and why subjective experience arises in living beings.
How did Dawkins describe consciousness?
2001 - Consciousness is the greatest remaining mystery in biology
Key Terms
How did Dawkins describe consciousness?
2001 - Consciousness is the greatest remaining mystery in biology
What are the two philosophical theories of consciousness?
Monist - mentalist/idealist or materialist
Dualist - both physical and subjective (Rene Descartes 17th C) Intuitively appealing
Why is dualism frowned upon?
The dogma of the ghost in the machine (Ryle 1949)
Accepting dualism is like giving up (Dennet 1991)
Define consciousness
Awareness of senses and thought processes
Griffin 1976 - a wide range of states in which there is an immediate awareness of thought, memory o...
What are the three levels of consciousness?
Phenomenal conciousness - experience of qualia (seeing, hearing, tasting etc.) ==Sentience?
Access consciousness - experience of being able t...
What did David Chalmers state in 1995?
There is nothing we know more intimately than conscious experience, but there is nothing harder to explain - The “Hard problem” or mind body gap
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| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
How did Dawkins describe consciousness? | 2001 - Consciousness is the greatest remaining mystery in biology |
What are the two philosophical theories of consciousness? | Monist - mentalist/idealist or materialist Dualist - both physical and subjective (Rene Descartes 17th C) Intuitively appealing |
Why is dualism frowned upon? | The dogma of the ghost in the machine (Ryle 1949) Accepting dualism is like giving up (Dennet 1991) |
Define consciousness | Awareness of senses and thought processes Griffin 1976 - a wide range of states in which there is an immediate awareness of thought, memory or sensation There is no necessary relationship between cognition and consciousness |
What are the three levels of consciousness? | Phenomenal conciousness - experience of qualia (seeing, hearing, tasting etc.) ==Sentience? Access consciousness - experience of being able t think about or report upon a mental state Self consciousness - second order representation (thinking about thinking) |
What did David Chalmers state in 1995? | There is nothing we know more intimately than conscious experience, but there is nothing harder to explain - The “Hard problem” or mind body gap |
Legally which animals are considered conscious? | Animal Scientific Procedures Act covers Vertebrates and cephalopods, and other animals if research supports the argument |
What two aspects can studies look at to determine consciousness? | Neural correlates - whats happening in the brain Functional correlates - what might consciousness be necessary for? |
How are neural correlates investigated? | Correlate reports of consciousness with neural functioning eg. EEG, CT, PET, MRI single cell recording Binocular rivalry Brain damage eg. blindsight |
What are the advantages and disadvantages of studying neural correlates? | Pros- Objective Cons- Causality and inferences from findings eg. convergent evolution whereby crabs have no PFC (thought to represent consciousness) and also no visual cortex although they can obvs still see |
what questions are asked when looking at functional correlates of consciousness? | What does consciousness do? Is it an evolved adaptation? Does it have a particular function? Do other animals have that function? |
Give 4 functional correlates of consciousness NOT relevant to phenomenal consciousness alone | Self recognition Theory of mind Empathy and deception Language |
What did the study by LIBET et al 1983 supposedly show? | That free will was not free as potentials were fired “before” conscious thought. Study very flawed as only 350ms pre-concious thought and likely that measuring was not this accurate when you add in motor response times etc. |
Outline blindsight experiments, give an exemplar study. | Patients with damage to primary visual cortex, “blind” Still answer correctly above chance levels when asked what they “see” - vision without consciousness eg. Weizkrantz et al 1986 |
Will we ever be sure if animals are conscious? | Subjective states may be inferred but can never be known Argument by analogy that animal and human physiological changes are representative of subjective states |
Why is conciousness important for animal welfare? | Knowing which animals are concious, then look at whether conscious states are positive or negative and work to enhance these states If animals were unconscious automata could we do whatever we want with them? |