The Emerging Science of Animal Consciousness: Invertebrate 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
Alexandra Schnell (National Geographic): Evidence regarding consciousness in cephalopod mollusks
Robert Elwood (Queen's University, Belfast): Evidence regarding consciousness in decapod crustaceans
Lars Chittka (Queen Mary University of London): Evidence regarding consciousness in insects
Moderated by Jonathan Birch (London School of Economics and Political Science)
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.