The Emerging Science of Animal Consciousness: Vertebrate Consciousness

This talk took place at NYU on April 19, 2024 and was co-hosted by the NYU Center for Mind, Ethics, and Policy and the NYU Wild Animal Welfare Program.
About the event
Which other animals have the capacity for conscious experience? For a long time this question was neglected in science, but a new interdisciplinary field is now emerging to tackle it, drawing on expertise from neuroscience, psychology, evolutionary biology, animal welfare/veterinary science, the social sciences, and the humanities. While much uncertainty remains, some points of wide agreement have emerged. In this public-facing event, experts from across the field will meet to discuss the progress that has been made, the key points of agreement and disagreement, the most promising directions for the future, and what recognizing other animals as conscious beings means in practice for ethics and policy.
About the speakers
Noam Miller (Wilfrid Laurier University): Evidence regarding consciousness in reptiles
Anna Wilkinson (University of Lincoln): Evidence regarding consciousness in amphibians
Becca Franks (New York University): Evidence regarding consciousness in fishes
Moderated by Kristin Andrews (York University)
Thank you to the NYU Animal Studies, the NYU Center for Bioethics, and the NYU Center for Mind, Brain, and Consciousness for co-sponsoring this event.