Work

Comparative Consciousness Research in Ecological Context: Elephants, Macaques, Plovers, and a Case Against Plant Consciousness

Year: 2025

Type: article

Abstract: In this article, I demonstrate the value of the pathological complexity thesis for comparative consciousness research. I discuss how Ristau’s piping plover research illuminates links between life-history complexity and intentionality. How Sinha’s bonnet macaque studies demonstrate how social drivers of pathological complexity predict self-awareness and mindreading capacities. And how Ross’s discussion of elephant life histories and consciousness allows us to compare the phenomenology if humans and elephants. Finally, I address Yilmaz’s discussion of the case for plant consciousness.

Source: Adaptive Behavior

DOI: 10.1177/10597123251413199

Author: Walter Veit

Institution: University of Reading

Language: English

Topic: Philosophy and Theoretical Science

Subfield: Experimental and Cognitive Psychology

Field: Psychology

Domain: Social Sciences

Open Access status: hybrid

Estimated APC paid: $4,150

Funder: Open Philanthropy Project