Study Questions #3

Questions for Dennett [Animal Consciousness: What Matters and Why] and Singer [Do Animals Feel Pain?]

1. What does Dennett say could be illustrated if people were exposed to simple robots which moved in a manner similar to animals?

2. How does Dennett use the example of the turkey vulture to show how easy it is to attribute human-like characteristics to the vulture?

3. How does Dennett say one can remove uncertainties-the "maybes" and "probablys"-about consciousness?

4. Why does Dennett say that "a snake can't think of a mouse?"

5. What is the "Cartesian Theater" and why does Dennett elieve it is so important in establishing what it means to be conscious?

6. What conclusions does Dennett draw from contemplating what rotting chicken must exactly smell like to a turkey vulture?

7. Why does Singer feel it is justifiable to infer that animals can feel pain?

8. Why does Singer think it is unreasonable to suppose that human and animal nervous systems operate differently at the level of subjective feelings?

9. Why does Singer feel it is hypocritical to deny animals the experience of pain based on the lack of complexity of the cerebral cortex?

10. Why does Singer find Wittgenstein's idea that we cannot meaningfully attribute states of consciousness to beings without language implausible?