From Greg Nuttgens, Bridgend, UK
Once again, the so-called hard problem of human consciousness raises its head in the piece “Unlocking consciousness”. But is there really a problem? Can we really say that a dog or an ape is not conscious in the way humans are? They feel fear, affection and grief, just as we do (28 March, p 30). They may not dwell on the meaning of their existence, as humans do (if they aren’t just using their intelligence to survive), but isn’t that just a reflection of our very large brain size, which gives us spare mental capacity?
The problem is that we humans are incapable of putting ourselves in the minds of animals. We cannot conceive of a dog having consciousness, just as we cannot conceive of eternity or infinity or our nonexistence.
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