Through Our Eyes? C. 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, while others feel that the issue of animal consciousness is beyond the scope of science. Yet exciting new evidence in animal behavior points to the existence of higher consciousness in some species, such African Grey parrots which have been shown to connect words with their consequences and rats which have demonatrated an elementary grasp of numbers. Through Our Eyes Only? is an immensely 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. Written in a lively style accessible to the general reader, the book aims to show just how near--and how far--we are to understanding animal consciousness.