Appearance on the Dissenter

I was interviewed by the Dissenter on my animal consciousness research.

Video description:
Dr. Walter Veit is a Lecturer (Assistant Professor) in Philosophy at the University of Reading, where he is also the director of the PPE program as well as the philosophy MA program. His interests are broad, but he works primarily in and at the intersections of (i) the Philosophy of Cognitive and Biological Sciences, (ii) the Philosophy of Mind, and (iii) Applied Ethics. Much of his recent writing has been on animal minds, welfare, and ethics, as well as evolution. He is the author of A Philosophy for the Science of Animal Consciousness.

In this episode, we focus on A Philosophy for the Science of Animal Consciousness. We talk about what the science of consciousness is lacking, and a Darwinian approach to consciousness. We discuss phenomenological complexity, and how we can explore the phenomenology of other animals. We discuss whether the hard problem of consciousness can be solved by science. We talk about the example of gastropods, and the challenge of arthropods. We discuss whether any current theory of consciousness is right. Finally, we talk about biopsychism.

Time Links:
00:00 Intro
00:33 The premise of the book
03:54 What the science of consciousness is lacking
06:09 A Darwinian approach to consciousness
16:02 Phenomenological complexity
19:52 How can explore the phenomenology of other animals?
32:48 The hard problem of consciousness
40:21 A thought experiment
48:40 The example of gastropods, and the challenge of arthropods
54:28 Is any current theory of consciousness right?
1:02:33 Biopsychism
1:07:42 Follow Dr. Veit’s work!