Do Animals Thinks? Essay Example

In philosophy the issue of the body mind problem has been a topic of interest to many people. The fundamental issue which is discussed, here is whether the two have any relation or whether one of then can exist without the other. Different theories have been brought forward in regard to this matter. There are those who argue that the two must co exist while others argue that they are independent of each other. According to many philosophers and scientists the two are the same thing. There is no body without mind and vice versa. This brings us to the question of do animals really think. In this paper I will look at the question, do animals think?

Thinking is a conscious activity that occurs in the mind. Human mind is the more developed among all organism. He has the capability of making clear judgments that can be observed and explained. Animal do the same they are capable of thinking and making the same judgments just like human beings. The only difference that exists is that human being has the capability of communicating in a more open way. All animals are conscious of themselves as they are.  They have the power to learn through experience and also through intuition just like a human being (Davidson, 2001).

Animals relate with each other and also they are capable of learning through their impulses. Their mind has the capacity to make the animal take the necessary action according to the situation (Davidson, 2001). For example, when animals feel hungry they search for food. This might not seem to be a conscious process, but it is an impulse which takes place in the mind. This is the same process that happens in human beings for example, if a person wants to make a certain decision their mind take the same impulse process. These impulses that work in the mind make the animals take physical actions. This shows the relation that exists between the animals mind and their bodies i.e. there is psychophysical relation.

Scientists have carried out experiments to test the consciousness of animals. For example, dogs have been used in many experiments to gauge the level of consciousness in the animals. These experiments have shown that animals are conscious of their feelings and also are able to respond to the environment. Scientist has observed that the dogs have the capacity to learn just like human beings. It has been discovered that the difference is the thinking capacity. Even in animals themselves the capacity of their thinking also differs among themselves. For example, dogs are known to have more learning capacity in comparison with other animals.

Animals also have a capacity to make communicate. The communication that takes place in animals is more specifically in accordance to their species. Animals of the same species have their own ways of communicating which is different from the way other species communicate. They are conscious of other members of the same species. They have the capacity to process the signals in their mind to know what is being communicated foe example danger approaching etc. This is just as the same how human communication process takes place where information is processed in the mind (Davidson, 2001).

So animals have the capability to think just as human beings do. They are conscious of themselves, and know what they need in specific situations. In the way that they think they show that the body and mind are the same and they have to function mutually.

Reference

Davidson, J. (2001). The nature of consciousness, the structure of reality. New York: Research Scientific Press.