Michael Tye’s Inferential view on animal consciousness

Abstract

There are two main views regarding arguments for animal consciousness: the non-inferential view and the inferential view. While the former holds that we can perceive animal mental states directly because they are observable in their movements and interactions with others, the latter, defended by Michael Tye (2017), holds that animal mental states must be inferred from their behaviour. Tye argued that animal consciousness could be inferred from learning behaviour since animals can act differently in the same situation. This paper aims to analyze and defend Tye’s view based on two arguments. First, the ability of animals to learn from past experiences and apply that knowledge to guide present actions suggests that animals are conscious. Second, animals that learn to avoid situations causing previous pain demonstrate consciousness, as they actively seek to protect their bodies from further harm.