XPost: alt.animals.ethics.vegetarian, alt.animals.dog, rec.pets.dogs.behavior   
   From: doxielover_2004@yahoo.com   
      
   dh@. wrote in news:qa4lj11fpgf0pbopgu47e0gv3ansup099v@4ax.com:   
      
   > On Tue, 27 Sep 2005 05:52:59 GMT, Barry Blust   
   >  wrote:   
   >   
   >>I'm not certain anyone who has posted to this topic has even a basic   
   >>understanding of the term 'self-awareness'.  I suggest you all take   
   >>the time to look this up.   
   >   
   >     Can't you explain it, or provide a definition? There's likely to   
   >     be   
   > more than on interepretation of what it means, so you might as well   
   > present the one that you want to use. Right?   
   >   
   >>Then this discussion might take on a truly dynamic   
   >>and relavant tone.   
   >>   
   >>Thanks,   
   >>   
   >>Barry   
   >>   
   >>   
   >>   
   >>dh@. wrote in news:sa3ri15rs9r50qmgr8jg1j6saqpbg8ti6r@4ax.com:   
   >>   
   >>> On Mon, 05 Sep 2005  Goo wrote:   
   >>>   
   >>>>Consider the mental life of a dog, for example.   
   >>>>Presumably, dogs have a rich array of experiences (they   
   >>>>feel pain and pleasure, the tree has a particular   
   >>>>"look" to it) and they may even have beliefs about the   
   >>>>world (Fido believes that his supper dish is empty).   
   >>>>Who knows, they may even have special "inner   
   >>>>experiences" that accompany those beliefs. However, if   
   >>>>we assume that dogs are not self-aware in the stronger   
   >>>>sense,   
   >>>   
   >>> we still have no reason to believe they are not self aware   
   >>> to some extent. In fact, the idea that they are not is quite   
   >>> a stupid one and is not supported in any way.   
   >>>   
   >   
   >   
      
   Self awareness is simply being aware of the self... i.e. knowing one's   
   attitudes, feelings, traits and behaviors as distinct and unique to one's   
   self.   
      
   Mook (my mini-doxie) is smart as a whip... yet he is unaware of his   
   intelligence.  He is filled with wondrous instincts, yet he is not aware of   
   these instincts... he simply reacts.  No doubt he has thoughts,   
   communicates and reasons... all valuable brain activities.  But Mook is not   
   aware that any of these traits belong to him, are his, or even that he is   
   somehow unique.   
      
   If we can agree on this, the question of what goes on in Mook's head is   
   most interesting.  One aspect of dogs I would like to explore is their   
   ability to become domesticated or feral within one generation.  I think   
   this is a unique survival technique, and one in common with us humans.   
      
   Thanks,   
      
   Ba   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)