Greg Detre
11/5/01
we can judge animal consciousness as well as humans
behavioural analysis - unequivocal evidence for consciousness
����� we have pretty similar nervous systems
[graph showing time on x vs size of brain on y � seems to show that size of brain was static 15m years ago and just shot up suddenly(???)]
can't have complexity without consciousness
asymptote
chimps� language is not even homologous/precursor to human language
consciousness might have evolved since then too
behaviour doesn't � consciousness
can have consciousness without behaviour
argument from analogy doesn't extend to animals
e.g. confusion between rat and guided missile
need to look at the brain � starting with humans
compare with animals
not in a position, because don't know enough about brain
need to define consciousness at neural level
look at ecology of animals
birds � parrots + corvids (jays, ravens, crows) � outperform chimps (even bonobos)
e.g. Californian crows
high degree of post-natal brain development
born way too early embryonically
uniquely available to � influences
Bonobos � social behaviour
primate social psychology
Dunbar grouping proportional to neocrtoex
Whil � Machiavellian, alang = grooming on a large scale
how varied is your environment
social vs extreme generalists
rats + cockroaches
stimulus generalisation/sample learning in honeybees
neurons vs hive
<< numbers
> unit computation
< fixity
beehives don't do much as a unit
move house
temperature + reproduction regulation
brain analysis
brain imaging
volition vs consciousness
no logical grounds of assuming animal consciousness
e.g. language = human only
behaviour ≠ convicning measure of consciousness
brain analysis mght � describe phenomenon first
non-conscious humans fully-functional � zombies possibility
gradations level between us + chimps
group consciousness � no
could you have evolved non-conscious animal then???
how recently has consciousness evolved???
�chimps� language is not even homologous/precursor to human language� � what about Kanzi???
how can a creature as small as a crow, with a small brain, be as bright as, say, a chimp???
well, if it doesn't need a very big motor system then it won't need to waste much brain space there, for starters
similarly, maybe the spine does a lot of work
and maybe it�s just doing some very efficient sensory processing or something�
does consciousness require behaviour??? (see G Strawson)
Kennedy � New Anthropomorphism
Hippocampus Minor(???) � Owen, special brain region