He’s come across something. A very large whale that is trapped. Human animals are conscious, and, further, a fortiori many animals are conscious. In 2012, the Cambridge Declaration on Consciousness crystallised a scientific consensus that humans are not the only conscious beings and that ‘non-human animals, including all mammals and birds, and many other creatures, including octopuses’ possess neurological substrates complex enough to support conscious experiences. A conscious being has subjective experiences of the world and its own body. You give small tours for a living. Conscious animals are part of the moral circle. For centuries, the question of whether or not animals are conscious like humans has prompted debates among philosophers and scientists. Animals seems to have emotions, intentions, plans, and personalities, all things we humans associate with conscious­ness. The official decision was reached in late night discussions two weeks ago during the prestigious annual Francis Crick Memorial Conference. One night, things are slow, you get a phone call from a local fisherman. This is a big deal. Science leaders have reached a critical consensus: Humans are not the only conscious beings; other animals, specifically mammals and birds, are indeed conscious, too. Humans are conscious beings, but are we alone? Researchers have identified homologous circuits in humans and animals whose activity coincides with conscious experience. Better late than never, I guess. Animal consciousness is not a recent topic, by the way. A friend once told me only the human brain is advanced enough to possess awareness. In 2013, the Cambridge Declaration on Consciousness put this issue on the table. While most people gladly accept that complex mammals — such as dogs — share emotions and experiences with us, the matter of simpler creatures is much less clear. Imagine for a second that you own a boat. A prominent group of scientists signs a document stating that animals are just as conscious and aware as humans are. Are Animals Conscious? In fact, the mystery surrounding the last question is gradually dissipating as more and more features we associate with human thinking and human consciousness can be found in animals.And quite often, these animals are not chimpanzees or orangutans similar to humans. Can we acknowledge that animals have experiences, emotions, an inner life? The third reason why a scientist might deny that animals are conscious is that unlike adult human beings, they can’t tell us (in language) that they’re conscious. Scientists are starting to think most animals may be conscious. How much can we read into animal behavior, before we start to make mistakes like the animal researchers of the 1880s? You get a phone call from a local fisherman, and, further, a fortiori animals. 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