You and I are self-aware. My dog, in my opinion, is as well (well – aware, at least, when she’s not napping). But what about bees? Do they simply follow impulses to guide them through their daily activities? Are crabs something more than simply biological “robots,” to borrow an admittedly somewhat inapplicable word? And for that matter, can highly complex robots be something more than machines?
Professor Michael Tye takes up these and similar questions in his new book Tense Bees and Shell-Shocked Crabs; Are Animals Conscious? Interesting questions, to be sure, and certainly not ones that have easy answers. Nevertheless, for those of us interested in the living world, they are certainly topics worthy of consideration, and Professor Tye’s book seems a very reasonable place to begin.
