Animal Minds

Animal minds are complex and diverse, making them difficult to study. This Element explores whether animals reason about unobservable variables like force and mental states and advocates for additional behavioral constraints on theorizing in comparative cognition. It also suggests that studies on animal minds would benefit from drawing more heavily on neuroscience and biology.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 78 pages
Publication date: 04 April 2024
Publisher: Cambridge University Press

Animals possess intricate and multifaceted minds, presenting a significant challenge to the study of their cognitive abilities. This Element delves into a topic that has garnered substantial attention within the realm of comparative cognition: Do animals engage in reasoning about unobservable variables such as force and mental states? The Element elucidates the methodologies employed by researchers to address this question and highlights the limitations of current approaches. While current methods offer valuable insights, hypotheses in comparative cognition often remain underdetermined by the empirical evidence available. Consequently, philosophers and scientists have recently advocated for the inclusion of additional behavioral constraints in theorizing within this field. The Element supports this proposal, commonly referred to as "signature testing," while also contending that studies on animal minds would greatly benefit from incorporating a more robust reliance on neuroscience and biology.

Animals possess intricate and multifaceted minds, presenting a significant challenge to the study of their cognitive abilities. This Element delves into a topic that has garnered substantial attention within the realm of comparative cognition: Do animals engage in reasoning about unobservable variables such as force and mental states? The Element elucidates the methodologies employed by researchers to address this question and highlights the limitations of current approaches. While current methods offer valuable insights, hypotheses in comparative cognition often remain underdetermined by the empirical evidence available. Consequently, philosophers and scientists have recently advocated for the inclusion of additional behavioral constraints in theorizing within this field. The Element supports this proposal, commonly referred to as "signature testing," while also contending that studies on animal minds would greatly benefit from incorporating a more robust reliance on neuroscience and biology.

ISBN-13: 9781009113465