behaviorofbothhumanandnonhumananimals,areactually
farmorecomplexthanrivalexplanations.Forweknowfrom
ourown experiencethatexplanations ofourown behavior
thatdid not referto consciousness andthe feelingof pain
would be incomplete;and itis simplerto assume that the
similarbehaviorofanimalswithsimilarnervoussystemsisto
beexplainedinthesamewaythantotrytoinventsomeother
explanationforthebehaviorofnonhumananimalsaswellas
an explanation for the divergence between humans and
nonhumans in this respect.
Theoverwhelmingmajorityofscientistswhohaveaddressed
themselvestothisquestionagree.LordBrain,oneofthemost
eminent neurologists of our time, has said:
I personally cansee no reason for conceding mindto my
fellowmen and denyingit to animals.... Iat least cannot
doubtthattheinterestsandactivitiesofanimalsarecorrelated
withawarenessandfeelinginthesamewayasmyown,and
which may be, for aught I know, just as vivid.^8
The author of a book on pain writes:
Everyparticleoffactualevidencesupportsthecontentionthat
thehighermammalianvertebratesexperiencepainsensations
atleastasacuteasourown.Tosaythattheyfeellessbecause
theyareloweranimalsisanabsurdity;itcaneasilybeshown
thatmanyoftheirsensesarefarmoreacutethanours—visual
acuity in certainbirds, hearing in most wild animals, and
touchinothers;theseanimalsdependmorethanwedotoday
onthesharpestpossibleawarenessofahostileenvironment.
Apartfromthecomplexityofthecerebralcortex(whichdoes
notdirectlyperceivepain)theirnervoussystemsarealmost