Through Our Eyes Only? : The Search for Animal Consciousness

What goes on inside the minds of other animals? Do they have thoughts and feelings like our own?
To many people, particularly pet owners, the answers seem absurdly obvious. Others feel the issue of animal consciousness is beyond the scope of science. Yet exciting new evidence in animal behaviour points to the existence of higher consciousness in some species. For example: wild vervet monkeys seem to “know” which members of their group are reliable messengers of danger and which commonly cry wolf; vampire bats often give food to starving companions – but only to those who have helped them in the past. Other species have demonstrated abilities in areas thought to be exclusively human: an African Grey parrot can connect words with their consequences and can demonstrate an understanding of colours.
These are just a few of the recent findings described by Marian Dawkins in Through Our Eyes Only? – an engaging exploration of one of the greatest remaining biological mysteries: the possibility of conscious experiences in other species. Dawkins argues that the idea of consciousness in other species has now progressed from a vague possibility to a plausible, scientifically respectable view.