The Recursive Mind by Corballis Michael C

Author:Corballis, Michael C.
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Princeton University Press
Published: 2014-07-28T16:00:00+00:00

Self-Awareness in Other Species?

What, then, of the ability to know one’s own mind? Could a chimpanzee emulate Descartes and infer its own existence? One proposed way to answer this question is the so-called mirror test, in which a mark is applied to the animal’s face, and the animal is then allowed to see itself in a mirror. The question is whether the animal will understand that the mark is on its own face, rather than on that of some stranger in the mirror. It is common practice to anesthetize the animal before applying the mark, so the animal is unaware of the mark being placed. Chimpanzees with prior experience of mirrors reach up and touch the marks on their faces, while those without experience with mirrors react as though there is another chimpanzee in the mirror, as do rhesus monkeys even after many years of experience.50 It appears that the great apes pass the test, although not consistently, whereas lesser apes and monkeys do not, and there is weak evidence that an elephant and a dolphin may also pass. Children typically pass the test by two years of age.51

But even this test need not imply more than a physical stance; that is, the animal may recognize itself as a physical object, without any necessary understanding that that object has desires, beliefs, emotions, and the like. Even we humans may use mirrors to reflect ourselves as objects, rather than as sentient beings—a face to be shaved, or rendered more beautiful. The reflection in the mirror, after all, is not someone with whom one can have a meaningful conversation.

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