Lurz - The Philosophy of Animal Minds

Edited by

Robert W. Lurz

CAMBRIDGE UNIVERSITY PRESS

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Cambridge University Press

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COLIN ALLEN Professor of History and Philosophy of Science and Professor of Cognitive Science, Indiana University

JOS LUIS BERMDEZ Professor of Philosophy, Washington University

ELISABETH CAMP Assistant Professor of Philosophy, University of Pennsylvania

PETER CARRUTHERS Professor of Philosophy, University of Maryland

DAVID DEGRAZIA Professor of Philosophy, George Washington University

SIMON FITZPATRICK Research Associate, AHRC Culture and the Mind Project, University of Sheffield

ROCCO J. GENNARO Professor of Philosophy, The University of Southern Indiana

GRANT GOODRICH Doctoral Student in the History and Philosophy of Science, Indiana University

DALE JAMIESON Professor of Environmental Studies and Philosophy Affiliated Professor of Law, New York University

ROBERT W. LURZ Associate Professor of Philosophy, Brooklyn College, City University of New York

ANDREW MCANINCH Doctoral Student in Philosophy, Indiana University

JOLLE PROUST Director of Research at CNRS, Institut Jean-Nicod

MICHAEL RESCORLA Assistant Professor of Philosophy, University of California, Santa Barbara

GEORGES REY Professor of Philosophy, University of Maryland

ROBERT C. ROBERTS Distinguished Professor of Ethics, Baylor University

ERIC SAIDEL Assistant Professor of Philosophy, George Washington University

ELLIOTT SOBER Hans Reichenbach Professor and William Vilas Research Professor, University of Wisconsin

MICHAEL TETZLAFF Visiting Instructor, University of Maryland

As with most projects, this one started out as a fairly rough idea that was eventually molded and shaped into a recognizable form by various people along the way. During its early stages, I was given invaluable advice about its direction and content by two anonymous referees, Colin Allen, Peter Carruthers, David Chalmers, Rocco Gennaro, and Uriah Kriegel. While in the thick of the editing process, I was helped immensely by the insightful comments and suggestions of Jonathan Adler, Daniel Campos, Emily Michael, Mathew Moore, and Saam Trivedi. The greatest help by far, however, was from the contributors, who met deadlines, actively communicated with each other and myself, effectively responded to (and graciously tolerated) my numerous questions and comments, and (despite all that) produced original work of the highest quality. I thank each and every one of you.

I wish also to thank Brooklyn College and my department for a much needed reduction in my teaching load during the spring semester. Finally, I wish to thank Gillian Dadd and Malcolm Todd for their helpful editorial guidance and, above all, Hilary Gaskin for her faith in and support for the volume from beginning to end.

The minds of animals has been an abiding topic in philosophy since its earliest beginnings. Some may find this surprising. After all, a fairly common picture of the philosopher is someone (in a darkened study) ruminating on the nature of the human mind, or on the mind of God, or on some other abstruse idea, but certainly not on the minds of cats, dogs, and honeybees. As common as this picture may be, however, it does not paint an entirely accurate portrait. Philosophers have thought long and hard about the minds of animals and have held and defended significant and influential views on the topic. Moreover, in the past ten years or so there has been an unprecedented amount of interest among philosophers in animal minds, with numerous publications and conferences dedicated to the subject. The level of interest and publication has reached a critical mass and has sustained itself long enough that it is now appropriate to say that the philosophy of animal minds is a field in its own right. The purpose of this volume is to highlight the state of the art in the field by bringing together a collection of new and cutting-edge essays by the best and brightest philosophers.

Since the essays in this volume have been shaped by various lines in the rich history of philosophical thought on animal minds, I provide a brief (albeit, vastly incomplete) sketch of some of the most important and influential ideas and arguments in this history, as well as a road map to the volume itself.