Looking Back on Pages Past!

    When I asked, "Just because something shares 'similar development' with us, and similar attributes to us, does that mean they should have similar rights as us?" with regards to Cavalieri's argument for whales having a basic right to life due to their complex brains and social structures with cultural differences  much like our own. This made me think briefly of our conversations with attributing rights to animals if they share similarities with us. I can't remember exactly who brought up this idea in one of our earlier class discussions, but I remember having an "aha!" moment as that concept made total sense. If mice can forgo food and basic needs for the sake of pleasurable shocks to the brain at the pull of a lever, and we can do the same thing, why don't we think they have a similar desire to rights and not being treated like, well, animals? Though I agree with Cavalieri's idea and examples of the complexity of cetacean social structures and cultural differences between populations, I wonder if that gives them the specific rights that we, as humans have given ourselves.

      I believe this beings it back to Donnovon's criticism of attributing our feelings of how things should be treated to animals: that dog is hungry, it should at this food, it isn't eating the food, it must be sick... we don't know that for sure, maybe it doesn't like the food you are offering it, we are just using our knowledge of how we handle ourselves to analyze animal behavior. Though I personally agree with the idea that any animal would like to avoid being harmed, and I feel we are potentially beyond the times where we need to hunt whales excessively for whale oil, I still feel odd saying "whales have rights as us humans do. I can't explain why in any good way, but I just feel we as humans are pushing our ideas onto animals too much for my liking.

If anyone has any ideas on this, I would appreciate reading them as they may help me formulate my opinions better!

Since there is no picture, I included an article on the coordination of killer whales in attacking a baby whale, and the attempt of a mother to keep the baby above water so it can breathe.

A Response to Mr. McNamara

Responding to the question Andrew posted, Can you really determine if there is “not much going on” in the life of a cow versus that of a human? I like this question, particularly the attached idea that cows can potentially have as simple a life plan as sleeping in the grass in a meadow.  I particularly liked the .gif that Andrew mentioned of the dogs sledding as I have seen my dog attempt this feat, rolling onto her side, then slowly skidding down a snowy hill before rolling over, looking back at us and giving us an ashamed look before walking off on "her highness's" short legs. She is a welsh corgi who has a princess complex. Using my dog as an example, she will wake up, ONLY when she hears food, and she will only act friendly if she wants to get petted. Picturing a day in her life:

*Hear food* wake up! Lets start the day!
Oh, the big thing that smells like "I can get food whenever I want" is moving, lets sniff it!
Oh, it's moving something towards me, I'm going to back away and see if it chases me...
Oh no! It's chasing me! *Hides under the bed for 4 hours*
What to do now.... lets go out again, I want my ears scratched.
Lets sniff the big thing! Wait, the other dog is sniffing it already! *bites at the tall German Shepherd's snout*
Yay! The big thing decided to scratch me, now I don't need to cause this thing more pain to get it away from the attention I desire!
I'm going to go sleep under the bed some more.

it sure is an interesting way to look at animals, them having a "plan of action for the day" and I always thought that and spoke for the animals as a kid until people called me weird for talking like the newt we'd capture. "Oh, this is warm, I'm going to sit on this!" (really my face as I lie down)... I still secretly think that animals and even some inanimate objects have a plan or purpose they are secretly trying to accomplish  (like my pens always disappearing, or my pocket watch only working when I try to go to sleep at my house...)

Gracie (the corgi) and Karina (the sheppie)

A deceptive question? or a memorable one?

Examining my question:

Question 1: The idea of consciousness in animals, and it's evolution from the idea of deceit, do you believe this is the only concept that lead to a “consciousness” if there even is one in animals?

       I believe that deceit would be one major way for animals to come up with a "conscious" that is, being aware that they are aware of their surroundings. Looking at it from an evolutionary perspective, if you are a peacock able to entice a female with the number of eyes in your plumage, you "win" right? What if you didn't have as many eyes as some other male, but you were able to keep a female from seeing that male and other males who had more eyes then you through constant harassment? I believe the peacock analyzing that females choose based on plumage and number of eyes is ingrained in their brain as "instinct"... but the ability to consciously evaluate that "I have less eyes then that other peacock" then, rather than trying your best with what you have and dying, you decide, "I am probably the worst-off peacock... but if I'm the only one that female sees, maybe I can still mate!" You then stalk the female and, if another male approaches  you harass that male until he leaves, never letting him display his plumage. I would say that's consciousness from deceit.

Look into my eyes dear! They are the "best around" 

            Another idea of where "consciousness" may have arisen is the idea of "reciprocal altruism", the likes of which vampire bats exhibit. These bats have developed their brains enough to remember the bats in their groups. When the bats return, if one of them (Batto, in this example) didn't have quite as good a night as another (Vlad, we will call it), Batto will be hungry. Vlad will sense this and offer Batto some of his own blood that he got. Vlad will then remember this favor that he did for Batto and hope that, if Vlad has an unfortunate night, Batto will help him. Should Batto return unsuccessful a second night, as motion that he is hungry to Vlad, Vlad will remember that Batto hasn't returned the favor and will not offer him blood anymore. I think this is consciousness, as having memory has been discussed as a quality to have consciousness. But this goes deeper then just remembering "this might hurt me" this is remembering one specific bat, and remembering that you did something nice for it, so it needs to pay you back before you give it anything more. I think that is an example of conscious decisions that can only be made by some form of consciousness.

I'd gladly pay you Tuesday for a Hamburger today!