Why We Must Care About Animal Consciousness: Against Carruthers’ Nihilism
Principia: An International Journal of Epistemology March 28, 2025 Victor Machado Barcellos
A philosophical paper argues against Peter Carruthers' view that there is no fact of the matter about whether animals have conscious states. Carruthers combines global workspace theory with the phenomenal concept strategy to reach this skeptical conclusion. The paper presents Carruthers' theses, including his all-or-nothing view of consciousness and his distinction between qualia realism and qualia irrealism, then reconstructs his arguments against attributing consciousness to animals. It offers two arguments challenging Carruthers' position, highlighting internal contradictions. The author concludes that, contrary to Carruthers, animal consciousness deserves attention from philosophy and cognitive sciences.