Human language stops us from understanding how animals think
Sarah, “the world’s smartest chimp,” died in July 2019, just before her 60th birthday. For the majority of her life, she served as a research subject, providing scientists with a window into the thoughts of homo sapiens’ nearest living relative. Sarah’s death provides an opportunity to reflect on a foundational question: can we really know what non-human animals are thinking? Drawing on my background as a philosopher, I argue that the answer is no. There are principled limitations to our ability to understand animal thought. Animal thought There is little doubt that animals think. Their behavior is too sophisticated to…
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