Is it reasonable to think that animals have self awareness?

[billvon]

IMO I believe different animals have different levels of self awareness, and I'm not very confident that "the mirror test" is a true test of self awareness or no self awareness.

It is surely not the only test. But in cases where you cannot ask the animal what he or she is thinking about, it's a reasonable measure.

I think you can make a case that not all humans have the same level of awareness either.

Agreed.

 

[KilljoyKlown]

It is surely not the only test. But in cases where you cannot ask the animal what he or she is thinking about, it's a reasonable measure.

Is it really? As has been stated, many animals don't really have very good eyesight and their awareness is mostly keyed to a sense of smell. If you asked most people what one sense they would most hate to lose, I'm sure it would be eyesight. The same can't be said about most animals. Birds who do depend on eyesight seem to enjoy mirrors.

 

[billvon]

Is it really? As has been stated, many animals don't really have very good eyesight and their awareness is mostly keyed to a sense of smell.

Agreed. Like I said, it's not the only test for self-awareness that works, and it's not useful for animals with poor vision.

 

[Aqueous Id]

Self awareness for humans is relatively new in evolution. The pre-humans were advanced animals, who looked humans, and who could do human tricks via learned programming and feedback. Self aware is when the ego emerges.

To care for a helpless suckling requires empathy. All of the pre-humans had that going for them.

Also Neanderthals painted bison and buried their dead, with apparent ceremony.

Thinking that the "mirror test" is a test of an animal's self awareness is precisely such an anthropomorphic bias.

An animal responding to its mirror image demonstrates animalipomorphic bias within the subject, conferring self-awareness and giving the test result no such anthropomorphic bias.

Also see:

 

[Crunchy Cat]

Any thoughts?

You mean non-human animals? Absolutely.