Description
Taylor & Francis The Animal Mind An Introduction To The Philosophy Of Animal Cognition (Pb 2014) by Andrews K.
The study of animal cognition raises profound questions about the minds of animals and philosophy of mind itself. Aristotle argued that humans are the only animal to laugh, but in recent experiments rats have also been shown to laugh. In other experiments, dogs have been shown to respond appropriately to over two hundred words in human language. _x000D__x000D__x000D__x000D__x000D__x000D_In this introduction to the philosophy of animal minds Kristin Andrews introduces and assesses the essential topics, problems and debates as they cut across animal cognition and philosophy of mind. She addresses the following key topics:_x000D__x000D__x000D__x000D__x000D__x000D__x000D__x000D__x000D__x000D__x000D__x000D_what is cognition, and what is it to have a mind? What questions should we ask to determine whether behaviour has a cognitive basis?_x000D_the science of animal minds explained: ethology, behaviourist psychology, and cognitive ethology_x000D_rationality in animals_x000D_animal consciousness: what does research into pain and the emotions reveal? What can empirical evidence about animal behaviour tell us about philosophical theories of consciousness?_x000D_does animal cognition involve belief and concepts; do animals have a 'Language of Thought'?_x000D_animal communication_x000D_other minds: do animals attribute 'mindedness' to other creatures?_x000D_moral reasoning and ethical behaviour in animals_x000D_animal cognition and memory._x000D__x000D__x000D__x000D__x000D__x000D__x000D__x000D__x000D_Extensive use of empirical examples and case studies is made throughout the book. These include Cheney and Seyfarth's ververt monkey research, Thorndike's cat puzzle boxes, Jensen's research into humans and chimpanzees and the ultimatum game, Pankseep and Burgdorf's research on rat laughter, and Clayton and Emery's research on memory in scrub-jays. _x000D__x000D__x000D__x000D__x000D__x000D_Additional features such as chapter summaries, annotated further reading and a glossary make this an indispensable introduction to those teaching philosophy of mind, animal cognition. It will also be an excellent resource for those in fields such as ethology, biology and psychology._x000D_show more