The Nature of Animal Consciousness
by Melanie
Anne Phillips
Hotly debated is the degree to which animals are
Self-Aware (compared to humans). The Mental Relativity test for Self-Awareness is the
ability to respond based on anticipation, even in opposition to immediate propriety. This
is the dividing line, as only the mind that can intentionally act against its own
momentary best interest in order to achieve a more favorable future situation is aware of
its own ability to change the environment, and therefore Self-Aware.
So, what is it (if anything) that separates the
minds of animals from the minds of humans? The degree of resolution.
Resolution of the Mind is a concept that describes
the degree of detail a given mind is capable of discerning. This detail is not of the
environment, but can be seen in the complexity of a mind's logic and the sophistication of
its emotions.
Broad stroke emotions like Anger and Love, and low
resolution logic such as Need or Don't Want are experienced equally by animals and humans,
as they are intrinsic to the functioning of a self-aware mind. But the shadings, depth,
and nuances within each larger concept are lost in minds insufficient in capacity to
process to that level of complexity.
A dog, for example, could feel as strongly as a
human a directed Anger or Lust. But the resolution of that emotion in the canine would be
confined to a smaller palette of sophistications.
The point being, that any creature with a mind that
processes in both Space AND Time will know the same feelings and share the same logic as
humans and to the same intensity, but not to the same complexity.