The biology of deception: the reluctance to accept the cognitive animal.
Cognitive ability did not appear de novo in man. Despite our ability to recognize limited cognitive behavioral characteristics in animals, there has been no outcry to proclaim this phenomenon. Man's image of himself solely possessing cognition has taken advantage of the illusory potential in intersubjectivity and placed him outside of reality. This deception, however, has positive survival value since it is man's self-proclaimed responsibility to excel beyond other simple animal species. However, at this point in evolution, we must allow our cognitive ability to reform itself and, in so doing, evolve with the benefit of the knowledge that this ability is itself creating. By recognizing that animals may have limited cognitive ability, we only enhance our self-esteem, not diminish it.
Neuroscience Research Institute, State University of New York at Old Westbury 11568, USA.
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D000818:Animals; D005075:Biological Evolution; D003071:Cognition; D006801:Humans; D010465:Perception; D012649:Self Concept; D013045:Species Specificity