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Animal Consciousness
1hr 12mins
“Consciousness is fundamental. It's a fundamental property of the world that we inhabit, a fundamental property of the universe.”
In this excerpt from "One Hand Clapping," Nikolay Kukushkin makes the case that neurons reveal how memory, meaning, and even consciousness emerge from the same biological roots in humans, sea slugs, and beyond.
Philosophers once prophesied that evolution would lead to minds far greater — and stranger — than our own.
A conversation about intelligence and consciousness with philosopher Peter Godfrey-Smith.
These expert-recommended books try to answer the questions of consciousness, from its fundamental nature to its role in human experience and the natural world.
4mins
"If we did create beings that were more like non-human animals, we ought to treat them much better than we now treat non-human animals."
1hr 55mins
“It’s not about being perfect. It’s about reducing suffering where we can, and right now, we’re choosing not to.”
Could AI develop true intelligence without sentience? Philosopher Jonathan Birch explores the boundaries of artificial and evolved minds.
Could studying the Oriental hornet lead to a treatment for people with alcohol use disorder?
Can laboratories become more humane, or is it time to end animal research altogether?
Philosopher Peter Singer argues it's time to examine a morally dubious practice.
It's high time owners learned to speak their dog's language.
Propofol, a drug commonly used for general anesthesia, derails the brain’s normal balance between stability and excitability.
Cats twist and snakes slide, exploiting and negotiating physical laws. Scientists are figuring out how.
An excerpt from renowned neuropsychologist Nicholas Humphrey’s book “Sentience: The Invention of Consciousness.”
A study of spinal development took a strange turn and made a surprise discovery.
Although mammals may be the dominant form of life today, we're relative newcomers on planet Earth. Here's our place in natural history.
Researchers are finding signs of multiple phases of sleep all over the animal kingdom. The ‘active’ sleep phases look very much like REM.
A controversial new philosophy paper tries to bring our moral prejudices to heel. Should it?
4mins
Can AI and animals coexist? Philosopher Peter Singer gives us a nuanced take on the issue.
Over a third are worried that vaccines can cause "canine autism."
If cocaine affects sharks at all, it does so as an anesthetic, not as a stimulant.
For better and worse, the Columbian Exchange plugged the Americas into the global system — and there was no going back.
The idea that consciousness emerges naturally alongside intelligence could be an anthropocentric distortion.
Numerous videos online show that squid undergo a dramatic color-changing effect after being stunned or killed.
Within a month of that initial conversation, Peter Singer became a vegetarian.
500 sheep were slaughtered to produce the 2,060 pages of the "Codex Amiatinus," a Latin translation of the Bible.
Far from being a “dead” pursuit that focuses on old ideas, modern philosophy proposes and debates important, new concepts. All of us can learn from it.
