Is It Possible to Know What Animals Think

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Is it possible to know what animals think? The human brain and its complex mechanisms have been considered unique to the animal world for centuries. However, only recently the animal mind has become one of science’s busiest lines of enquiry. Since Darwin, animal research has altered mans conception of his role in the world with recent research claiming that primates and other distantly related animals are capable of thinking at more intellectual levels than previously thought. It is still unclear what special qualities of mind set humans apart from other animals. Many things, such as tool use, self-recognition and awareness, problem solving and the ability to understand the passing of time have previously been considered unique to humans, and in some cases closely related primates, but studies have now found other animals demonstrating these abilities. The ability to use tools effectively involves understanding the problem and using the correct tools to find a solution. This requires sophisticated cognitive mechanisms that can be seen to demonstrate consciousness and intelligence, which are two things considered to be important parts of thinking. Similarly, consciousness and intelligence can be inferred from an animal’s ability to remember previous events and use experience to solve problems. This requires them to be able to plan ahead, to form an idea of themselves and project it into the future, just like humans do. If it can be argued that animals are capable of these types of complex cognitive mechanisms then it makes it difficult to determine what they may be thinking, just as we cannot fully determine what one another are thinking. Also, these abilities may simply be instinctive reactions which we have tried to project meaning onto in order to feel more in control of our own behaviours. To answer the question whether it is possible to know what animals think,
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