Editorial on the Research Topic Comparative animal consciousness The scientific study of consciou... more Editorial on the Research Topic Comparative animal consciousness The scientific study of consciousness has seen a resurgence in the 21st century. This collection of reviews, essays, and theories on various aspects of comparative animal consciousness takes a biological and evolutionary approach. As defined here, consciousness refers to the process by which an animal has perceptual and affective experience or feelings, arising from the material substrate of a nervous system. It draws upon a long tradition of neuroscientific materialism (
The between-generations transmission of phenotypic variations is based on networks operating at d... more The between-generations transmission of phenotypic variations is based on networks operating at different levels-genetic, epigenetic, behavioral and symbolic. Since each level involves a network of interactions, integrating such networks of networks may seem hopelessly complex. We suggest that the problem can be drastically simplified if analysis starts from a description of the heritable trait of interest as an attractor in a developmental landscape constructed by networks of inputs at underlying and overlying levels of organization. On this basis, further studies quantifying the different inputs that contribute to the between-generational reconstruction of the trait can be made and enable the development of a systemic, dynamic and predictive model of inheritance.
A reappraisal of Lamarckism—its historical impact and contemporary significance. In 1809—the year... more A reappraisal of Lamarckism—its historical impact and contemporary significance. In 1809—the year of Charles Darwin's birth—Jean-Baptiste Lamarck published Philosophie zoologique, the first comprehensive and systematic theory of biological evolution. The Lamarckian approach emphasizes the generation of developmental variations; Darwinism stresses selection. Lamarck's ideas were eventually eclipsed by Darwinian concepts, especially after the emergence of the Modern Synthesis in the twentieth century. The different approaches—which can be seen as complementary rather than mutually exclusive—have important implications for the kinds of questions biologists ask and for the type of research they conduct. Lamarckism has been evolving—or, in Lamarckian terminology, transforming—since Philosophie zoologique's description of biological processes mediated by "subtle fluids." Essays in this book focus on new developments in biology that make Lamarck's ideas relevant n...
Over the past two decades, Ginsburg and Jablonka have developed a novel approach to studying the ... more Over the past two decades, Ginsburg and Jablonka have developed a novel approach to studying the evolutionary origins of consciousness: the Unlimited Associative Learning (UAL) framework. The central idea is that there is a distinctive type of learning that can serve as a transition marker for the evolutionary transition from non-conscious to conscious life. The goal of this paper is to stimulate discussion of the framework by providing a primer on its key claims (Part I) and a clear statement of its main empirical predictions (Part II).
Animal Sentience: An Interdisciplinary Journal on Animal Feeling, 2022
On the basis of the target article by Crump and colleagues, we suggest a more parsimonious scheme... more On the basis of the target article by Crump and colleagues, we suggest a more parsimonious scheme for evaluating the evidence for sentience. Since some of the criteria used by Crump et al. are not independent and some are uninformative we exclude some criteria and amalgamate others. We propose that evidence of flexible learning and prioritization, in conjunction with relevant data on brain organization, is sufficient for assigning pain-sentience to an animal and we suggest a scoring scheme based on four criteria.
Can the study of epigenetics, physiology and cognitive science contribute to the investigation an... more Can the study of epigenetics, physiology and cognitive science contribute to the investigation and understanding of social-cultural systems while respecting the autonomy of social research? I present a developmental system theory (DST) approach, which takes the unit of analysis to be the system of self-sustaining interactions among multiple biological, psychological and social resources. On this view, the cybernetic architecture of the networks that constitute the system channels development, so that different trajectories lead to convergent end-states, accounting for the system’s developmental stability, as well as shedding light on the conditions that lead to departures from typical outcomes. Based on previous work, which is extended here, I suggest that Waddington’s epigenetic landscape metaphor, which was built to illustrate the relationship between genetic networks and embryological development is a useful tool for thinking about the temporal dynamics of social systems, capturi...
We discuss the evolution of imagination in vertebrate animals within the framework of an evolutio... more We discuss the evolution of imagination in vertebrate animals within the framework of an evolutionary-transition approach. We define imaginative consciousness and the cognitive architecture that constitutes it and argue that the evolution of full-fledged imaginative consciousness that enables planning can be regarded as a major transition in the evolution of cognition. We explore the distribution and scope of a core capacity of imaginative cognition in non-human vertebrates — episodic-like memory (ELM) — by examining its behavioural manifestations as well as the organization and connectivity of the hippocampus, a central hub of episodic memory processes in vertebrates. Although the data are limited, we conclude that ELM evolved in parallel several times through the enrichment of minimal consciousness capacities, that there is a general correspondence between enhanced behavioural capacities and the size and complexity of the hippocampus during vertebrate evolution, and that the evolu...
Which living organisms are conscious, feeling creatures, and which are more like sophisticated ro... more Which living organisms are conscious, feeling creatures, and which are more like sophisticated robots that can only respond to stimuli and solve simple problems? There are many different and hotly debated answers to this question. We used biology to come up with a new approach for determining which organisms are conscious. We propose that organisms that can learn in a specific, flexible manner are conscious. Using this criterion, it is likely that consciousness first appeared about 540 million years ago and can now be found in many animal species. If our ideas are accepted, this means that we must change our attitude toward non-human animals and do a better job of protecting them from pain and suffering.
Editorial on the Research Topic Comparative animal consciousness The scientific study of consciou... more Editorial on the Research Topic Comparative animal consciousness The scientific study of consciousness has seen a resurgence in the 21st century. This collection of reviews, essays, and theories on various aspects of comparative animal consciousness takes a biological and evolutionary approach. As defined here, consciousness refers to the process by which an animal has perceptual and affective experience or feelings, arising from the material substrate of a nervous system. It draws upon a long tradition of neuroscientific materialism (
The between-generations transmission of phenotypic variations is based on networks operating at d... more The between-generations transmission of phenotypic variations is based on networks operating at different levels-genetic, epigenetic, behavioral and symbolic. Since each level involves a network of interactions, integrating such networks of networks may seem hopelessly complex. We suggest that the problem can be drastically simplified if analysis starts from a description of the heritable trait of interest as an attractor in a developmental landscape constructed by networks of inputs at underlying and overlying levels of organization. On this basis, further studies quantifying the different inputs that contribute to the between-generational reconstruction of the trait can be made and enable the development of a systemic, dynamic and predictive model of inheritance.
A reappraisal of Lamarckism—its historical impact and contemporary significance. In 1809—the year... more A reappraisal of Lamarckism—its historical impact and contemporary significance. In 1809—the year of Charles Darwin's birth—Jean-Baptiste Lamarck published Philosophie zoologique, the first comprehensive and systematic theory of biological evolution. The Lamarckian approach emphasizes the generation of developmental variations; Darwinism stresses selection. Lamarck's ideas were eventually eclipsed by Darwinian concepts, especially after the emergence of the Modern Synthesis in the twentieth century. The different approaches—which can be seen as complementary rather than mutually exclusive—have important implications for the kinds of questions biologists ask and for the type of research they conduct. Lamarckism has been evolving—or, in Lamarckian terminology, transforming—since Philosophie zoologique's description of biological processes mediated by "subtle fluids." Essays in this book focus on new developments in biology that make Lamarck's ideas relevant n...
Over the past two decades, Ginsburg and Jablonka have developed a novel approach to studying the ... more Over the past two decades, Ginsburg and Jablonka have developed a novel approach to studying the evolutionary origins of consciousness: the Unlimited Associative Learning (UAL) framework. The central idea is that there is a distinctive type of learning that can serve as a transition marker for the evolutionary transition from non-conscious to conscious life. The goal of this paper is to stimulate discussion of the framework by providing a primer on its key claims (Part I) and a clear statement of its main empirical predictions (Part II).
Animal Sentience: An Interdisciplinary Journal on Animal Feeling, 2022
On the basis of the target article by Crump and colleagues, we suggest a more parsimonious scheme... more On the basis of the target article by Crump and colleagues, we suggest a more parsimonious scheme for evaluating the evidence for sentience. Since some of the criteria used by Crump et al. are not independent and some are uninformative we exclude some criteria and amalgamate others. We propose that evidence of flexible learning and prioritization, in conjunction with relevant data on brain organization, is sufficient for assigning pain-sentience to an animal and we suggest a scoring scheme based on four criteria.
Can the study of epigenetics, physiology and cognitive science contribute to the investigation an... more Can the study of epigenetics, physiology and cognitive science contribute to the investigation and understanding of social-cultural systems while respecting the autonomy of social research? I present a developmental system theory (DST) approach, which takes the unit of analysis to be the system of self-sustaining interactions among multiple biological, psychological and social resources. On this view, the cybernetic architecture of the networks that constitute the system channels development, so that different trajectories lead to convergent end-states, accounting for the system’s developmental stability, as well as shedding light on the conditions that lead to departures from typical outcomes. Based on previous work, which is extended here, I suggest that Waddington’s epigenetic landscape metaphor, which was built to illustrate the relationship between genetic networks and embryological development is a useful tool for thinking about the temporal dynamics of social systems, capturi...
We discuss the evolution of imagination in vertebrate animals within the framework of an evolutio... more We discuss the evolution of imagination in vertebrate animals within the framework of an evolutionary-transition approach. We define imaginative consciousness and the cognitive architecture that constitutes it and argue that the evolution of full-fledged imaginative consciousness that enables planning can be regarded as a major transition in the evolution of cognition. We explore the distribution and scope of a core capacity of imaginative cognition in non-human vertebrates — episodic-like memory (ELM) — by examining its behavioural manifestations as well as the organization and connectivity of the hippocampus, a central hub of episodic memory processes in vertebrates. Although the data are limited, we conclude that ELM evolved in parallel several times through the enrichment of minimal consciousness capacities, that there is a general correspondence between enhanced behavioural capacities and the size and complexity of the hippocampus during vertebrate evolution, and that the evolu...
Which living organisms are conscious, feeling creatures, and which are more like sophisticated ro... more Which living organisms are conscious, feeling creatures, and which are more like sophisticated robots that can only respond to stimuli and solve simple problems? There are many different and hotly debated answers to this question. We used biology to come up with a new approach for determining which organisms are conscious. We propose that organisms that can learn in a specific, flexible manner are conscious. Using this criterion, it is likely that consciousness first appeared about 540 million years ago and can now be found in many animal species. If our ideas are accepted, this means that we must change our attitude toward non-human animals and do a better job of protecting them from pain and suffering.
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