What Can the Animal Mind Tell Us About Human Consciousness?
Do you ever wonder what is going on in your dog’s head when she cocks it and looks at you with the saddest eyes ever? And what could those birds be thinking, when they swoop in front of the car you are driving? Does anything in the mind of a dog, cat or bird resemble what goes on in our minds? Does the word “mind” even apply to those other animals? How is it that we even have the awareness to wonder about such things? NPR’s Lynn Neary explores the latest thinking about consciousness by talking to scientists and philosophers about human versus animal brains and how that research impacts the age-old question of how our minds make us human.
Lynn talks with neuroscientist Christof Koch about the difference between the human brain and mind, and asks cognitive ethologist Colin Allen about studying the minds of non-human animals.
Lynn continues speaking with Colin Allen and brings primatologist Frans de Waal into the conversation to discuss social behavior, empathy and the definition of consciousness in non-human animals. Reporter John McChesney profiles a remarkable study into scrub-jays, a species of bird that remembers, plans, schemes, sneaks, steals and hides personal property.
Lynn moderates a discussion between neuroscientist Christof Koch and philosophy of mind professor Colin McGinn about whether humans will ever be able to comprehend the nature of consciousness.
Consciousness
Do you ever wonder what is going on in your dog’s head when she cocks it and looks at you with the saddest eyes ever? And what could those birds be thinking, when they swoop in front of the car you are driving? Does anything in the mind of a dog, cat or bird resemble what goes on in our minds? Does the word “mind” even apply to those other animals? How is it that we even have the awareness to wonder about such things? NPR’s Lynn Neary explores the latest thinking about consciousness by talking to scientists and philosophers about human versus animal brains and how that research impacts the age-old question of how our minds make us human. 
