concept

non-human animals

Also known as: nonhuman animals

Facts (10)

Sources

Complexity and the Evolution of Consciousness | Biological Theory link.springer.com Springer Sep 14, 2022 2 facts

referenceMichel Cabanac and his collaborators have emphasized the importance of positive and negative feelings in decision-making trade-offs for both humans and nonhuman animals in research published between 1971 and 2009.

claimThe pathological complexity thesis provides a framework for making predictions about the subjective experiences of non-human animals, which distinguishes it from many competing theories of consciousness that struggle to generate testable predictions.

Self-Consciousness - Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy plato.stanford.edu Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy Jul 13, 2017 2 facts

claimFred Dretske (1995) and Michael Tye (1995) question whether higher-order theories of consciousness can adequately account for the conscious states of infants and non-human animals.

claimP.F. Strawson's central idea regarding personhood is that persons are entities capable of self-ascribing both mental and physical predicates, a condition that likely excludes most non-human animals.

AI Sessions #9: The Case Against AI Consciousness (with Anil Seth) conspicuouscognition.com Conspicuous Cognition Feb 17, 2026 2 facts

perspectiveAnil Seth believes that the situation regarding consciousness in non-human animals is not the same as the situation regarding consciousness in artificial intelligence, as the reasons for historical false negatives in animals explain why humans are prone to false positives in AI.

claimAnil Seth argues that human exceptionalism has historically caused humans to make false negatives regarding consciousness in non-human animals, while simultaneously encouraging false positives regarding consciousness in large language models.

The cross-cultural study of mind and behaviour: a word of caution link.springer.com Springer Apr 8, 2022 2 facts

claimResearchers have debated the extent to which non-human animals, particularly non-human primates, possess a theory of mind (Call and Tomasello 2008; Premack and Woodruff 1978).

referenceRichard Dawkins and John Krebs (1984) proposed that non-human animals likely possess the capacity for Theory of Mind, mindreading, or agency attribution in varying degrees.

Panpsychism - Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy plato.stanford.edu Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy Jul 18, 2017 1 fact

perspectiveThought is considered a more sophisticated phenomenon than experience, leading many philosophers to doubt that it is correct to ascribe thought to non-human animals or fundamental particles.

Life, Intelligence, and Consciousness: A Functional Perspective longnow.org The Long Now Foundation Aug 27, 2025 1 fact

claimRené Descartes' position that nonhuman animals and machines are equivalent is no longer popular among most scientists.