The article explores whether biological agency—the idea that organisms act toward their own goals rather than merely following genetic instructions or environmental stimuli—is a scientifically productive concept. It examines the tension between mechanistic, gene-centered views of life and theories that treat living entities as causal agents capable of making decisions based on immediate contextual information.
* The debate over whether agency is a fundamental biological attribute or just phenotypic plasticity
* Theoretical attempts to "naturalize" agency through empirical measurement
* How the concept relates to evolutionary theory, multicellularity, and artificial intelligence
* The debate over whether agency is a fundamental biological attribute or just phenotypic plasticity
* Theoretical attempts to "naturalize" agency through empirical measurement
* How the concept relates to evolutionary theory, multicellularity, and artificial intelligence
Often metaphorical and allusive, the philosopher's work will long be remembered for how it grappled with everyday thought.
A survey of 100 researchers in animal behavior, conducted by Marcela Benítez and colleagues from Emory University and published in the journal Royal Society Open Science, has provided insights into current scientific views on animal emotions and consciousness. The survey reflects a growing acceptance of these capacities in a wide range of animals, highlighting the evolving perspectives in the field of animal behavior.
| Animal Group | Percentage Believing in Emotions |
|-----------------------|----------------------------------|
| Non-human primates | 98% |
| Other mammals | 89% |
| Birds | 78% |
| Cephalopods | 72% |
| Fish | 53% |
| Insects | 67% |
| Other invertebrates | 71% |
The survey suggests a significant shift in scientific thought, with a majority of researchers now attributing emotions to a wide range of animals, even those previously considered less sentient. This indicates a growing acceptance of the complexity and depth of animal emotional experiences, likely influenced by recent research in animal cognition and emotions.
| Animal Group | Percentage Believing in Emotions |
|-----------------------|----------------------------------|
| Non-human primates | 98% |
| Other mammals | 89% |
| Birds | 78% |
| Cephalopods | 72% |
| Fish | 53% |
| Insects | 67% |
| Other invertebrates | 71% |
The survey suggests a significant shift in scientific thought, with a majority of researchers now attributing emotions to a wide range of animals, even those previously considered less sentient. This indicates a growing acceptance of the complexity and depth of animal emotional experiences, likely influenced by recent research in animal cognition and emotions.
Theories of consciousness span a spectrum from physicalist to nonphysicalist, including materialism, non-reductive physicalism, quantum theories, panpsychisms, and dualisms, among others, with extensive subcategories particularly in materialism. Each theory is typically described by its proponents without much critique or comparison to other theories. The implications of these theories are evaluated based on their answers to questions about meaning, AI consciousness, virtual immortality, and survival beyond death, offering a comprehensive landscape of consciousness.
Researchers at the University of Michigan have used the anesthetic drug propofol to identify the intricate brain geometry behind the unconscious state, offering an unprecedented look at brain structures that have traditionally been difficult to study.
New study on mice decision-making reveals that choice is not a singular moment but a reflection of the brain’s preexisting state.
The research, using Buridan’s Assay, suggests that the mice’s brain constantly broadcasts its goal, even before options are available, with patterns of neuron activity predicting choice.
Hunger and thirst don’t directly drive behavior; instead, they modulate the brain’s goal-setting, with an element of randomness causing switches between needs, ensuring both are met over tim
The research, using Buridan’s Assay, suggests that the mice’s brain constantly broadcasts its goal, even before options are available, with patterns of neuron activity predicting choice.
Hunger and thirst don’t directly drive behavior; instead, they modulate the brain’s goal-setting, with an element of randomness causing switches between needs, ensuring both are met over tim
William Egginton takes up in The Rigor of Angels: Borges, Heisenberg, Kant, and the Ultimate Nature of Reality (public library) — an ambitious
consciousness relates to a dynamic process of self-sustained, coordinated brain-scale activity assisting the tuning to a constantly evolving environment, rather than in static descriptions of brain function (3–5). In that respect, neural signals combine, dissolve, reconfigure, and recombine over time, allowing perception, emotion, and cognition to happen (6).
