Description

1. Stow, Philip, et.al. “The Cambridge Declaration on Consciousness.” Web. http://fcmconference.org/img/CambridgeDeclarationOnConsciousness.pdf. July 7, 2012.
2. Caldwell, Mark and Jeffrey Lowe. “Polly Wanna Ph.D?” Discover Magazine. Web. January 01, 2000.
3. Dawkins, Marian. “Animal Welfare and the Paradox of Animal Consciousness” Advances in the Study of Behavior, Volume 47, 2015.
4. Griffin, Donald R. Animal Minds: Beyond Cognition to Consciousness. Chicago: Chicago UP, 2001. (Excerpts from pages 1-17)1***
5. Dennett, Daniel C. “Animal Consciousness: What Matters and Why.” Social Research, (Fall 1995) 62.3: p. 691(20).

Question: Many of the scientists in the reading set are reluctant to claim that animals have consciousness, because that claim cannot be proven true, even though the scientists can speculate and logically infer that animals have consciousness. However, the intelligence and the complex verbal behavior of the African gray parrots in the Caldwell and Lowe article present an intriguing example of nonhuman animals who are able to solve challenging problems and to communicate using language.

Is it reasonable to conclude that the African gray parrots, Alex and Griffin, described in the Caldwell and Lowe article, have consciousness?

Consider this issue using ideas from the readings in this set, employing ideas that support your position as well as ideas that disagree with your position. Your essay must quote and/or paraphrase and work directly with material from all five (5) essays in this reading set.
In addition, define and employ key terms that seem to be central to the arguments of your sources and, therefore, to your argument as well. Primary among these key terms is “consciousness.” Other key terms that might help you with your argument are: behaviorism, ethology, subjective, phenomenal consciousness, access consciousness, perceptual consciousness, reflective consciousness, sentience, introspection, and neural correlates.