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The Question of Animal Awareness: Evolutionary Continuity of Mental Experience
Book by Donald R. Griffin
209 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1976
3 people are currently reading
282 people want to read
About the author
Donald R. Griffin
13 books18 followersDonald Redfield Griffin was a member of the National Academy of Sciences and considered the founder of the modern study of animal thinking and consciousness known as "cognitive ethology." He made his mark early in his career by helping to discover how bats navigate, and coined the term "echolocation" to describe the phenomenon.
"An emeritus professor of animal behavior at Rockefeller University, Dr. Griffin gave birth to the field known as cognitive ethology in 1978 when he broke a scientific taboo by suggesting that animals might have the capacity to think and reason, and that scientists should study these mental processes."
"In his publications, Dr. Griffin argued that the great complexity and adaptability of animal behavior, from the sophisticated food-gathering behavior of chimps to the clever fishing techniques of herons, suggest that animals are not mere automatons. Instead, he maintained, they are thinking beings, even if they might be thinking about different things, in ways entirely different from humans." Prior to this—and to a lesser extent even afterward—most scientists considered the matter of animal thinking to be a subject that belonged far outside the realm of scientific exploration. The field's natural connection to movements like animal rights advocacy continues to make some scientists wary.
Dr. Griffin died in Lexington, Massachusetts, at 88 years of age. (New York Times obituary.)
"An emeritus professor of animal behavior at Rockefeller University, Dr. Griffin gave birth to the field known as cognitive ethology in 1978 when he broke a scientific taboo by suggesting that animals might have the capacity to think and reason, and that scientists should study these mental processes."
"In his publications, Dr. Griffin argued that the great complexity and adaptability of animal behavior, from the sophisticated food-gathering behavior of chimps to the clever fishing techniques of herons, suggest that animals are not mere automatons. Instead, he maintained, they are thinking beings, even if they might be thinking about different things, in ways entirely different from humans." Prior to this—and to a lesser extent even afterward—most scientists considered the matter of animal thinking to be a subject that belonged far outside the realm of scientific exploration. The field's natural connection to movements like animal rights advocacy continues to make some scientists wary.
Dr. Griffin died in Lexington, Massachusetts, at 88 years of age. (New York Times obituary.)
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
April 23, 2024
(3.5 stars) I read this book as part of my journey of understanding the foundational ideas of veganism. I would very much enjoy an updated version of this book with the most modern science. Griffin makes some reasonably sound arguments, especially considering the available evidence of the time in which he wrote this book. At the very least, he implores the reader to at least be open to the possibility of conscious awareness in animals. That certainly seems fair to me.
I found the description of the honeybee dancing communication to be incredibly interesting. It was a good bit more complex than I was expecting. The fact that they are able to communicate both the distance and direction makes a big difference in my mind. If they were only "pointing" in a direction, then I would find this communication system to be far less interesting to me. The fact that there is some symbolism baked in takes it to the next level. Also, the fact that there is a back-and-forth during this communication makes it seem qualitatively different than what I would have assumed when I began this book. The ability of them to delay their communication until the next day also seemed very important.
I found Griffin's foundational argument to be quite sound, at least to me. Why should we assume that humans are qualitatively different in our mental experiences, when our brains and neurochemistry are so similar to various other animals? Obtaining the evidence to verify this is incredibly difficult, but that shouldn't mean that scientists shouldn't at least be open to the possibility that animals have mental experiences. It's not uncommon in science for hypotheses to be posited, that are then refined over time as more evidence is gathered.
I found the description of the honeybee dancing communication to be incredibly interesting. It was a good bit more complex than I was expecting. The fact that they are able to communicate both the distance and direction makes a big difference in my mind. If they were only "pointing" in a direction, then I would find this communication system to be far less interesting to me. The fact that there is some symbolism baked in takes it to the next level. Also, the fact that there is a back-and-forth during this communication makes it seem qualitatively different than what I would have assumed when I began this book. The ability of them to delay their communication until the next day also seemed very important.
I found Griffin's foundational argument to be quite sound, at least to me. Why should we assume that humans are qualitatively different in our mental experiences, when our brains and neurochemistry are so similar to various other animals? Obtaining the evidence to verify this is incredibly difficult, but that shouldn't mean that scientists shouldn't at least be open to the possibility that animals have mental experiences. It's not uncommon in science for hypotheses to be posited, that are then refined over time as more evidence is gathered.
May 12, 2016
This book is often credited with starting the field of cognitive ethology. It is a good read for a somewhat historical perspective on the field and where the thinking was, some of the philosophical content is still very pertinent and it is really interesting to see both how far the field of animal cognition has come and how very little the ability to test higher level cognitive skills and the evolution of mind has come since this book was published.
to-keep-reference
February 13, 2026Comentado en esta clase.
Lo publicó de grande, cuando ya no le importaba el qué dirán. Dice que los animales tienen conciencia.
Lo publicó de grande, cuando ya no le importaba el qué dirán. Dice que los animales tienen conciencia.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews