ANIMAL CONSCIOUSNESS
Daisie Radner & Michael Radner
Any intelligent debate on the ethical treatment of animals hinges on understanding their mental
processes. The idea that consciousness in animals is beyond comprehension is usually traced to
the 17th-century philosopher Rene Descartes whose concept of animals as beast machines lacking
consciousness influenced arguments for more than 200 years. But in reviewing Descartes' theory
of mind, Daisie and Michael Radner demonstrate in Animal Consciousness that he did not hold
the view so frequently attributed to him. In fact, they contend that Descartes distinguished two
types of consciousness, which make it easier to discuss the conscious experiences of animals and
to trace the debate into the post-Darwinian era.
DAISIE AND MICHAEL RADNER are associate professors of philosophy at, respectively, the
State University of New York at Buffalo and Mc Master University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada.
253 pp (Index) ISBN 1-57392-114-9 Paper
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