Monday, September 10, 2012

Octo-consciousness


When in Stroll through the World of Animals and Men Jakob von Uexkull wanders what a starfish sees or a sea urchin experience when a boat floats above him in the water, we enter into a strange world of animal phenomenology. Now according to Scientific America, neuro-scientists have "discovered" or "granted" consciousness to a realm of creatures include the octopus. Of course, the octopus knew this all along but either we were not listening (highly possible) or the cephalopod was not talkin'. The Cambridge Deceleration on Consciousness now puts things straight:
“The weight of evidence indicates that humans are not unique in possessing the neurological substrates that generate consciousness,” the scientists wrote. “Non-human animals, including all mammals and birds, and many other creatures, including octopuses, also possess these neurological substrates.”


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