Minds Of Their Own: Thinking And Awareness In Animals

by Leslie J. Rogers

Do Animals have ideas? Do they experience pain like humans? Do they think about objects that they cannot see? About situations that have occurred in the past? Do they consciously make plans for the future or do they simply react unthinkingly to objects as they appear and situations as they arise? All of these questions have bearing on whether or not animals have consciousness. The advent of computers that ”think” has lead us to consider “intelligence” in a way we never thought possible a decade ago. But when and how does information processing in the brain become automatic?In Minds of Their Own, Lesley J. Rogers examines the issue of animal thought both sympathetically and critically by looking at the different behavior characteristics of a variety of animals, the evolution of the brain and when consciousness might have evolved. To most people, to be conscious means to be aware of oneself as well as to be aware of others. But does this hold true for animals? The answer may have implications which transcend mere scientific inquiry: if animals are cognizant creatures, what, if any, moral responsibility do humans have to assure their rights? This timely book examines this issue and others by emphasizing comparisons between humans and animals: how we evolved; how we remember; how we learn.

Genres: Animals

222 pages, Paperback

First published July 1, 1998

Reviews

[Anna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Clear, accessible scientific overview of the state of knowledge about animal consciousness; awesome for anyone interested in the topic who wants the basics. Equally useful for people in academic fields other than ethology/comparative psych looking for pathways into the scholarly literature. Scientific but humane-oriented tone, and nice questioning of the underlying assumptions which have driven most research in the field.

[Julien Rapp · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lesley does a great job approaching the subject of brain development and cognition in animals. She approaches the subject from emergence and evolution of the brain, as well as the development of awareness of self, memory and intelligence. Only when we can communicate with other animals can we understand what they are thinking. It makes you wonder whose shortcomings are coloring our perceptions that animals aren't capable of having minds of their own.

[Zedder · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great summary of recent work in ethology.

[Jenna Loesch · Rating 4 out of 5]

I honestly skimmed a lot of this book, but I still learned a lot of interesting things about animals. Wish I was more into science stuff so I'd have the patience to read it word for word.