Declaring Animal Consciousness Does Not Benefit Comparative Cognition
Benjamin M. Basile and Emily Kathryn Brown
Dickinson College
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Abstract
Broad declarations of consciousness in nonhuman animals seed needless confusion in our field, grossly overstate our meager evidence, are not needed to advocate for animal welfare, and provide ammunition to anti-science advocates.
Keywords: sentience, awareness, metacognition
Author Note Benjamin M. Basile and Emily Kathryn Brown, Dickinson College, Department of Psychology, 28 North College Street, Carlisle, PA 17013.
Correspondence concerning this article should be addressed to Benjamin M. Basile at basileb@dickinson.edu or Emily Kathryn Brown at brownemi@dickinson.edu
