Animal Emotions

Wally and Bundy by Artist Lesley Harrison

Do animals think and feel?

by Marc Bekoff

Scientists Finally Conclude Nonhuman Animals Are Conscious Beings Didn't we already know this? Yes we did. 

Published on August 10, 2012 by Marc Bekoff, Ph.D. in Animal Emotions

Every now and again I receive an email message I ignore after reading the subject line. I know I'm not alone in following this rule of thumb, but today I broke down and opened a message the subject line of which read "Scientists Declare: Nonhuman Animals Are Conscious". I honestly thought it was a joke, likely from one of my favorite newspapers, The Onion. However, it wasn't.

My colleague Michael Mountain published a summary of a recent meeting held in Cambridge, England at which "Science leaders have reached a critical consensus: Humans are not the only conscious beings; other animals, specifically mammals and birds, are indeed conscious, too." At this gathering, called The Francis Crick Memorial Conference, a number of scientists presented evidence that led to this self-obvious conclusion. It's difficult to believe that those who have shared their homes with companion animals didn't already know this. And, of course, many renowned and award-winning field researchers had reached the same conclusion years ago (see also). 

     Michael Mountain was as incredulous as I and many others about something we already knew. It's interesting to note that of the 15 notables who spoke at this conference only one has actually done studies of wild animals. It would have been nice to hear from researchers who have conducted long-term studies of wild animals, including great apes, other nonhuman primates, social carnivores, cetaceans, rodents, and birds, for example, to add to the database. Be that as it may, I applaud their not so surprising conclusion and now I hope it will be used to protect animals from being treated abusively and inhumanely. 

Some might say we didn't really know that other animals were conscious but this is an incredibly naive view given what we know about the neurobiology and cognitive and emotional lives of other animals. Indeed, it was appeals to these very data that led to the conclusions of this group of scientists. But did we really need a group of internationally recognized scientists to tell us that the data are really okay?  Yes and no, but let's thank them for doing this. 

I agree with Michael Mountain that "It’s a really important statement that will be used as evidence by those who are pushing for scientists to develop a more humane relationship with animals. It’s harder, for example, to justify experiments on nonhumans when you know that they are conscious beings and not just biological machines. Some of the conclusions reached in this declaration are the product of scientists who, to this day, still conduct experiments on animals in captivity, including dolphins, who are among the most intelligent species on Earth. Their own declaration will now be used as evidence that it’s time to stop using these animals in captivity and start finding new ways of making a living."

The Cambridge Declaration on Consciousness

The scientists went as far as to write up what's called The Cambridge Decalration on Consciousness that basically declares that this prominent international group of scientists agree that "Convergent evidence indicates that non-human animals have the neuroanatomical, neurochemical, and neurophysiological substrates of conscious states along with the capacity to exhibit intentional behaviors. Consequently, the weight of evidence indicates that humans are not unique in possessing the neurological substrates that generate consciousness. Non-human animals, including all mammals and birds, and many other creatures, including octopuses, also possess these neurological substrates." They could also have included fish, for whom the evidence supporting sentience and consciousness is also compelling (see also).  

So, what are we going to do with what we know (and have known)?

It's fair to ask what are these scientists and others going to do now that they agree that consciousness is widespread in the animal kingdom. We know, for example, that mice, rats, and chickens display empathy but this knowledge hasn't been factored into the Federal Animal Welfare Act in the United States.

I'm frankly astounded that these data and many other findings about animal cognition and animal emotions have been ignored by those who decide on regulations about the use and abuse of other animals. However, the Treaty of Lisbon, passed by member states of the European Union that went into force on December 1, 2009, recognizes that "In formulating and implementing the Union's agriculture, fisheries, transport, internal market, research and technological development and space policies, the Union and the Member States shall, since animals are sentient beings, pay full regard to the welfare requirements of animals, while respecting the legislative or administrative provisions and customs of the Member States relating in particular to religious rites, cultural traditions and regional heritage."

Let's applaud The Cambridge Declaration on Consciousness and The Treaty of Lisbon and work hard to get animals the protection from invasive research and other forms of abuse, in many cases horrifically inhumane, they deserve.

Some recent essays I've written point out that there still are some people who feel comfortable killing individuals who they call "unneeded" or "surplus" animals and at least one animal welfarist, Oxford University's Marian Dawkins, continued as of a few months ago to claim we still don't know if other animals are conscious and that we should "remain skeptical and agnostic [about consciousness] ... Militantly agnostic if necessary, because this keeps alive the possibility that a large number of species have some sort of conscious experiences ... For all we know, many animals, not just the clever ones and not just the overtly emotional ones, also have conscious experiences."

Perhaps what I call "Dawkins' Dangerous Idea" will now finally be shelved given the conclusions of the Cambridge gathering. I frankly don't see how anyone who has worked closely with any of a wide array of animals or who lives with a companion animal(s) could remain uncertain and agnostic about whether they are conscious. 

It's said that repetition is boring conversation but there's now a wealth of scientific data that makes skepticism, and surely agnosticism, to be anti-science and harmful to animals. Now, at last, the prestigious Cambridge group shows this to be so. Bravo for them! So, let's all work together to use this information to stop the abuse of millions upon millions of conscious animals in the name of science, education, food, amusement and entertainment, and clothing. We really owe it to them to use what we know on their behalf and to factor compassion and empathy into our treatment of these amazing beings. 


*Marc Bekoff, Ph.D., is a former Professor of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology at the University of Colorado, Boulder, and co-founder with Jane Goodall of Ethologists for the Ethical Treatment of Animals. He has won many awards for his scientific research including the Exemplar Award from the Animal Behavior Society and a Guggenheim Fellowship. Marc has written more than 200 articles, numerous books, and has edited three encyclopedias. His books include the Encyclopedia of Animal Rights and Animal Welfare, The Ten Trusts (with Jane Goodall), the Encyclopedia of Animal Behavior, the Encyclopedia of Human-Animal Relationships, Minding Animals, Animal Passions and Beastly Virtues: Reflections on Redecorating Nature, The Emotional Lives of Animals, Animals Matter, Animals at Play: Rules of the Game (a children's book), Wild Justice: The Moral Lives of Animals (with Jessica Pierce), and The Animal Manifesto: Six Reasons For Increasing Our Compassion Footprint. In 2005 Marc was presented with The Bank One Faculty Community Service Award for the work he has done with children, senior citizens, and prisoners. In 2009 he was presented with the St. Francis of Assisi Award by the New Zealand SPCA. His homepage is marcbekoff.com and with Jane Goodall http://www.ethologicalethics.org/. Twitter @MarcBekoff

Brief Reflection on Contentment

" The secret of contentment is knowing how to enjoy what you have, and to be able to lose all desire for things beyond your reach."

Yutang Lin

Worry

Shadow Study by Jim Semonik

Excerpt from J. Ruth Gendler's delightful book entitled, The Book of Qualities

Worry has written the definitive work on nervous habits.
She etches lines on people's foreheads when they are not paying attention.
She makes lists of everything that could go wrong, while she is waiting for the train. 
She is sure she left the stove on, and the house is going to explode in her absence. 
When she makes love, her mind is on the failure rates and health hazards of various methods of birth control.
The drug companies want Worry to test their new tranquilizers but they don't understand what she knows too well;  there is no drug that can ease her pain.  She is terrified of the unknown.

10 ways to change your life

NASA - HUBBLE

by Dr. Ilona L. Tobin

Too often we take care of other people’s needs, shunning activities that have the most meaning for us. Here are 10 ways to take back your life.

Create goals. Get clear on what you really want, write it down and start to take action toward your goals.

1.Commit to your own agenda. As much as possible, before helping others each day, complete the tasks that move you toward your goals.
2.Set boundaries. When you heed your own agenda, you will likely need to set boundaries with the people in your life.
3.Say no when you want to. Respecting your true desires is liberating.
4.Do something you’ve always wanted to do. Fulfilling long-held wishes brings joy and empowerment.
5.Seek balance. Which of these aspects need attention: social/family, spiritual/creative, career or health?
6.Eat well and exercise. Take charge of your energy by treating your body well.
7.Clear clutter. Creating an orderly and beautiful physical environment positively affects our sense of internal order and makes space for the new.
8.Pursue completion. Avoiding unfinished tasks, things that remain unsaid and relationships that need closure, hijacks our thoughts and saps our energy.
9.Get support/find allies. Get help processing uncomfortable feelings and seek friendships with people who appreciate and support your taking charge of your life

Ilona Tobin has been a psychologist and a marriage and family therapist for more than 25 years in Birmingham, Michigan.

Truth, Love and Beauty in a world of Science and Religion

Article by Justarius
 
Truth, Love and Beauty
If you boil everything down, you will find that virtually every significant endeavor of ours since the beginning of human history has been a manifestation of these three things. To truly understand the meaning of life, we must harmonize truth, love, and beauty.
  
Pursuit of Truth - science and religion

Science and religion may see like polar opposites now, but they are really family. We created religion first to help us cope with forces and events we could not control or understand; things like lightning and death. We gained a sense of control by believing that supernatural beings controlled these things and that praying to them might have some effect. Later when we developed philosophy, we realized that we could actually understand these phenomena if we applied logic, and this gave rise to the sciences.
  
Here I must pause briefly to qualify my terminology. Even though I say “religion,” you will find that I focus mostly on Christianity for the rest of this article. I do not intentionally single it out, but the reality is that no other religion has battled science quite like Christianity has. This is because science and Christianity grew up together; no other religion can claim such intimate bonds. However, in theory, any religion could experience similar conflicts because science and religion come from different traditions: one emphasizes logic while the other emphasizes intuition/faith. It is this general tension that I’m interested in, not the specific example of Christianity vs. science.  
    
The interesting thing is that science and religion were not antagonistic at the beginning. The ancient Greeks had no problem worshipping the gods and also doing mathematics and physics on the side. Even the early Catholic church didn’t have the problems we experience today; in fact, during the Dark Ages in Europe, the church preserved a number of ancient Greek scientific manuscripts by recopying them by hand.
  
So when and why did the acrimony arise? For when, I would say around the time of the Renaissance. As for why, one word: power. By the Renaissance, the Catholic church was the most powerful organization in Europe, and it enjoyed it. When science began to challenge dogma, naturally, the church was not pleased. Copernicus was smart enough to publish his heliocentric theory posthumously. Galileo was not so wise, and paid dearly for it. Yet science is not like other “heresy;” you cannot stop it by killing, imprisoning, or torturing the espousers. Science is different because it’s based on observable facts. No amount of believing will make the earth flat or the center of the universe; you cannot hide from the Truth forever. 

Fast forward to the present; now we have the completely opposite situation. Science dominates the world and has the power to push religion around. Most scientists are only interested in increasing the knowledge of their respective fields, but some have other agendas. Some seek to dispel superstition and pseudo-science, while the more extreme seek nothing less than the total dismantling of religion. For its part, religion does what it has done since the Renaissance - dig in and fight back, hard. What we get then is full blown trench warfare. For example, see my editorial on Creationism vs. Evolution.
  
This childish tit-for-tat is unbefitting two great traditions of Truth seeking. Science and religion should stop fighting and realize that they are two branches of the same activity - the Pursuit of Truth. Ever since humans became self-aware, we’ve always wondered about the world and our place in it. Science and religion are but tools in this endeavor, and neither is a complete version of the Truth. How can Man, a limited being, piece together the whole Truth using only one branch of human thought? That is hubris and beyond absurd, like someone claiming he can knock out a young Muhammad Ali with one hand tied behind his back. Science gives us insights based on logic, while religious insights are based on faith and intuition. Just as an eagle needs two wings to fly, we need both types of insights to soar to that higher realm where Truth resides.
  
Love and beauty - arts and literature

Love and beauty not only reside in a higher dimension than the material world, they also exist on a different plane from logic. Philosophy and science have taken stabs at quantifying them, but quantification really doesn’t do them justice. We learn far more about love and beauty from literature and the arts because they express themselves using different tools such as stories, analogies, music, color, movement, and emotions. Science may show us that love is just a chemical reaction in the brain, certain facial proportions are considered beautiful, and that certain notes sound good together (music theory) . These may be the mechanics of love and beauty, but they are not love and beauty themselves. Love is longing and fulfillment, pain and joy. There are many different types of beauty - a baby can be beautiful in its innocence as well as a little old lady with a heart of gold.

Conclusion
To understand the meaning of life, we must harmonize truth, love, and beauty.  None of them are higher or more important than the others. A world without beauty and love is without fulfillment. A world without truth is without substance. Man needs both for a meaningful existence.

http://www.philoscifi.com/

Brief Reflection / On Nature

Artist Painting of John Muir

"In every walk with nature one receives far more than he seeks".

John Muir


Born:  April 21, 1838
Dunbar, East Lothian, Scotland 
Died December 24, 1914 at the age of 76
in Los Angeles, California, U.S.A. 
Occupation:   Engineer, naturalist, writer, botanist and geologist 
Known for Founder of Sierra Club 

Scottish-American Naturalist and Preservationist  

Be Inspired

Nebula Painting Space Art Commission
Astronomical Painting by Alizey

Guest Post written by Leo Babauta.

You are overcome with laziness and procrastination, feeling unmotivated, stuck, can’t get started.

You are not alone. This is a commonality in the human condition, and the solution is elusive, never standing still and not wanting to be easily caught.

You are not alone, but in this union with your brothers and sisters, there is hope. I’m among you, and I have found a few meager solutions. And if I can solve this problem, so can you. If others have beaten it, you can.

These are ways I’ve found inspiration.

one: This morning as I sat down to write I had some ideas for posts but wasn’t excited about any of them. So I asked on Twitter, “What are you having problems with that I can help with?” Several people responded with things like laziness, motivation, procrastination, getting started. Having something to help with inspired me to write.

lesson: Inspiration can come from finding a way to help others.

two: My eight-year-old son was looking bored, and I asked about a (short) novel he’s been reading. He showed me the book and I challenged him to read four chapters today. His face lit up and he got to reading.

*lesson: Creating a challenge can be an inspiration.

three: I have problems with procrastination, just like anyone else. I usually solve it when 1) I crystalize in my mind what I most want to be doing right now and what is most important; 2) I clear away all other distractions; and 3) I get started. As I began writing this post, I closed all other browser tabs (bookmarked ones I want to read later) and opened only the “new post” page in WordPress. Then I clicked on the “fullscreen” button so that everything but the writing box disappeared. Then I entered “Presentation Mode” in Google Chrome, so that everything else on my computer screen faded away. Now it’s just me and these words.

*lesson: Clear away everything else and just create.

four: In the morning I sometimes feel lazy when I’ve told myself I want to exercise, stretch, or meditate. I don’t feel motivated. So instead of motivating myself to do something that might take 10, 20 or 30 minutes, I just focus on the smallest action: starting. To meditate or stretch, I just need to put my butt on the pillow (on the floor). To exercise, I just need to lace up my shoes and get out the door. Once I start, the rest is easy, and I’m always glad I did.

*lesson: Get your butt on the pillow. Don’t wait for motivation, just start. Motivation will come.

five: As I began to write this morning I heard what sounded like opera music streaming through the walls from my neighbor’s house. What a lovely sound to write to! I immediately began playing some opera of my own, and the uplifting beauty infused my act of creation.

*lesson: Surround yourself by inspiration. Music, art, great books, fascinating people.

six: When I feel lazy and don’t want to do anything, I remind myself of the gift I’ve been given. I live an amazing life, and to be given the joy of this world and the people around me, is a complete and utter miracle. Then I ask myself, “Is this how I want to use this miracle?” What a complete waste of something so perfect, so profound, to spend the little time I have in this life on pointlessness and laziness. I don’t mind doing nothing, if it is a nothing that makes me happy. But I also want to create, to help people, to be compassionate towards others, to do something fulfilling and joyous. And so I do.

*lesson: Be grateful for the miracle of your life, and ask yourself how you want to spend it. Then get to creating, to making lives better.

seven: I read blogs by fascinating people doing inspired things. Often they will write about something they’re working on, and it sparks an idea in me, makes me want to do something really cool too. Yesterday this happened and I’ve spent hours now dreaming up something big. It might never happen, but that’s not the important thing. Because I surround myself (virtually) with inspired people, I’m more likely to be hit by inspiration.

*lesson: Don’t wait for inspiration to strike — you have to meet it halfway. If you want to be hit by lightning, go out in a thunderstorm with a metal rod. Scream at the thundering gods, daring them to strike you.


*Zen Habits is one of the most visited blogs on the Internet with 240,000 subscribers[1], and Alexa ranks it as 4,215th popular website in the US [2], and covers simplifying, living frugally, parenting, happiness, motivation, eliminating debt, saving, eating healthily, successfully implementing good habits, and achieving goals.

Zen Habits was created by Leo Babauta (born April 30, 1973), a blogger, journalist and published author from the United States territory of Guam who presently lives in San Francisco. Babauta's first post was on February 1, 2007.[3] In February 2009, Time Magazine named Zen Habits one of the Top 25 Blogs for 2009[4], and in June 2010, it named Zen Habits at the top of its list for the Top 25 Blogs for 2010[5]. Until approximately 2010, the blog focused largely on topics such as productivity and being organized, but Babauta later drifted away from these topics. In a post titled "Toss Productivity Out", published 6 September 2011, Babauta explicitly encouraged his readers to focus on simplifying their lives rather than getting more things done.[6]

Babauta also has a blog focused on simplicity called mnmlist.com. He brought attention to The 100 Things Challenge[7], which is a powerful method of working toward Simple living. The challenge is to reduce personal possessions to 100 items or fewer. There is some wiggle room because collections such as books may be counted as a single list item. Babauta subsequently set the 50 Things Challenge.[8]

On November 6, 2007, an e-book called Zen To Done: The Ultimate Simple Productivity System was made available to purchase.[9] It is composed of some of Zen Habits' popular blog posts.

On January 7, 2008, the Zen Habits blog and Zen to Done e-book were dedicated to the public domain.[10]

On December 30, 2008, Babauta's first print book, The Power of Less, was published by Hyperion Books. It reached the Amazon best-seller list on its first day[11] and remains one of the top business motivation books on Amazon.[

Resource:  Wikipedia