Are animals conscious?
Whether animals are conscious is undoubtedly an ongoing debate, one which will not be resolved quickly. Some scientists are affirmatively reporting animal consciousness while others say that this cannot be measured because we cannot understand animal communications. I beg to differ. Have you ever heard dogs bark, birds chirp or cat’s meow? We may not understand their language, but animals need only to be observed to be understood. My belief has long been that animals are conscious, much more so than we give them credit for. Animals learn to respond to different stimuli, they learn to perform upon command, they communicate and, I believe, they understand certain feelings. Researchers who have similar curiosities about animal consciousness have observed animals such as monkeys, rats, spiders and dogs. Through research of the physiological brain structure of animals, observation of animal performance and animal communication, it is clear that animals exhibit various levels of consciousness.
One of the most …show more content…
He observed the behavior of spiders who, as young spiders, built webs that were the same all the way around. However, as the spiders became older and more mature, their web designs changed. This change resulted in new web construction that made capturing prey easier and more economical. By observing spiders, Helton (2005) suggested that the improvements in the spider’s silky architecture was a result of learning, which can only be accomplished through consciousness. This idea of consciousness that leads to learning that leads to success is further exhibited in Helton’s (2005) reference to service dogs. Helton (2005) believes that expertise, whether spider architecture or successfully sniffing out a drug stash, is directly linked to consciousness. Without consciousness, one cannot become
Whether animals are conscious is undoubtedly an ongoing debate, one which will not be resolved quickly. Some scientists are affirmatively reporting animal consciousness while others say that this cannot be measured because we cannot understand animal communications. I beg to differ. Have you ever heard dogs bark, birds chirp or cat’s meow? We may not understand their language, but animals need only to be observed to be understood. My belief has long been that animals are conscious, much more so than we give them credit for. Animals learn to respond to different stimuli, they learn to perform upon command, they communicate and, I believe, they understand certain feelings. Researchers who have similar curiosities about animal consciousness have observed animals such as monkeys, rats, spiders and dogs. Through research of the physiological brain structure of animals, observation of animal performance and animal communication, it is clear that animals exhibit various levels of consciousness.
One of the most …show more content…
He observed the behavior of spiders who, as young spiders, built webs that were the same all the way around. However, as the spiders became older and more mature, their web designs changed. This change resulted in new web construction that made capturing prey easier and more economical. By observing spiders, Helton (2005) suggested that the improvements in the spider’s silky architecture was a result of learning, which can only be accomplished through consciousness. This idea of consciousness that leads to learning that leads to success is further exhibited in Helton’s (2005) reference to service dogs. Helton (2005) believes that expertise, whether spider architecture or successfully sniffing out a drug stash, is directly linked to consciousness. Without consciousness, one cannot become