From newshub.ccs.yorku.ca!torn!cs.utexas.edu!uunet!munnari.oz.au!metro!cs.uow.edu.au!cc.uow.edu.au!plumpton Tue Nov 24 10:51:27 EST 1992
Article 7588 of comp.ai.philosophy:
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>From: plumpton@wampyr.cc.uow.edu.au (David Plumpton)
Subject: Consciousness in animals
Message-ID: <1992Nov11.043222.2004@cc.uow.edu.au>
Sender: plumpton@cc.uow.edu.au (david james plumpton)
Organization: University Of Wollongong
Date: Wed, 11 Nov 92 04:32:22 GMT
Lines: 23


On the assumption that animals experience consciousness (which I believe),
where abouts in the level of animal development would people think that
it starts? i.e. where is the very first 'spark' of self-awareness?

If we list organisms of decreasing mental complexity from humans to virii as:
Humans, monkeys, dogs, mice, bees, flies, ameobas, virii,
where would you first say "Stop, no self-awareness there" ?

My personal guess would go between bees and flies, i.e. nothing for a fly,
but the barest degree of consciousness for a bee.

>From observing the behaviour of chimps I have no doubt at all that they
are conscious. It's pretty much the same for dogs. A mouse seems like a
scaled down dog. A bee looks to me to have small amounts of planning and
navigating, but a fly seems "hard-wired" and aimless.

Any comments or wildly differing arguments?
-- 
/------------------------------\ /-------------------------------\
I       David Plumpton          I     There is a holy trinity:    |
I plumpton@wampyr.cc.uow.edu.au I N Tesla, R Feynman and C Sagan  |
\------------------------------/ \-------------------------------/


