ext_3535 ([identity profile] del-c.livejournal.com) wrote in [personal profile] green_amber 2005-10-24 01:29 pm (UTC)

None of the adjectives you used to describe your cats' emotions suggest 'consciousness' to me, but Buzz does something I can't help but think of as conscious: he cares what I think about him. He wants to know if he's been bad, and if I still like him. He worries about it a lot, and often pesters me for reassurance. That tells me he not only has in his mind a model of my mind, he has a model of my mind having a model of his mind. That says 'consciousness' to me.

On the other hand, Rocky has none of that. That could just be Rocky being a self-centred little bastard, however.

Post a comment in response:

This account has disabled anonymous posting.
If you don't have an account you can create one now.
HTML doesn't work in the subject.
More info about formatting