Animal minds: beyond cognition to consciousness

Donald R. Griffin takes us on a guided tour of the recent explosion of scientific research on animal mentality. With this new edition of his classic book, which he has completely revised and updated, Griffin moves beyond considerations of animal cognition to argue that scientists can and should inve...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Griffin, Donald R. (Author)
Format: Book
Language:English
Published: Chicago [u.a.] Univ. of Chicago Press 2001
Subjects:
Summary:Donald R. Griffin takes us on a guided tour of the recent explosion of scientific research on animal mentality. With this new edition of his classic book, which he has completely revised and updated, Griffin moves beyond considerations of animal cognition to argue that scientists can and should investigate questions of animal consciousness. Using examples from studies of species ranging from chimpanzees and dolphins to birds and honeybees, he demonstrates how communication among animals can serve as a "window" into what animals think and feel, just as human speech and nonverbal communication tell us most of what we know about the thoughts and feelings of other people. Even when they don't communicate about it, animals respond with sometimes surprising versatility to new situations for which neither their genes nor their previous experiences have prepared them, and Griffin discusses what these behaviors can tell us about animal minds. He also reviews the latest research in cognitive neuroscience, which has revealed startling similarities in the neural mechanisms underlying brain functioning in both humans and other animals. Finally, in four chapters greatly expanded for this edition, Griffin considers the latest scientific research on animal consciousness, pro and con, and explores its profound philosophical and ethical implications.
Physical Description:XV, 355 S.
ISBN:0226308650

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