rational animals

[David Mitchell <david.mitchell@new.oxford.ac.uk>]

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In response to Nick:

The claim that animals are 'capable of rational thought' is, i believe, mitaken. Whilst non-human animals are capable of learning and responding to their enviroment with, at times, a high degree of sophistication, this is not the same thing as a capacity for reason. Reason and rational thought depend on conscious self awareness, the ability be aware of oneself in the world, and, as far as we know, human beings are the only creatures capable of such recognition. Thus animals can not 'think' or 'reason' in the sense of reflecting on themselves or aspects of their experience.

Indeed it is mans self-awareness that sets up the possibility of moral action, since he can reflect on his actual and potential actions and make an effort to alter his behaviour. ie. man can ask 'should I be doing this?' whereas animals which lack the 'I' can not, and therefore do not qualify for moral evaluation.
Further, this self awareness does not exist in degrees, either you have it or you don't, and animals are not merely less 'rational' than man but not rational at all. By the same token it makes no sense to talk about a being who could be more rationally self aware than man.

David.


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