Chimpanzees in particular show evidence of consciousness or self-awareness.

Jane Goodall, who spent years observing the behavior of chimps in their natural habitat,

tells us of a female chimpanzee who allowed all the males in the group to mate with her

except for her two grown sons and her brother. A social distinction of this nature requires

a very good knowledge of the identity of all group members, as well as an awareness of

their long-term relationship to herself.⁵

Lyall Watson cites experimental evidence of awareness in other animal species besides

humans. He described a study performed at Harvard University using pigeons that were trained

to peck at one of a number of disks if a human was identified as being present in a series

of photographs that they were shown. It was found that the pigeons could correctly find the

humans in the pictures whether they were clothed or nude, young or old, black or white, or

in any posture. They were capable of this recognition even if the most fragmentary aspects

of the human form were present, such as a hand, foot, or the back of a head, and even though

it was at a distance. The stimuli were so varied and complex that no simple conditioned

response could account for this ability. The conclusion drawn from this experiment was that

the pigeon is capable of forming a broad and comprehensive concept. This bird is capable of

awareness of other life forms, which is a prerequisite of self-awareness.⁶

It has become the belief of some researchers that the higher cortical centers of the human

brain act as the data bank for sophisticated unconscious information or memory storage and

that conscious awareness, choice and reflection may reside in the older limbic brain.⁷

If so, this would be evidence that at least some higher non-human animals have the necessary

brain hardware that would allow them to experience consciousness.

Lesser life forms might also possess this attribute, although there is no good scientific

data to support such a view. Fritjof Capra has stated that he believes awareness is a

property of mentation at any level of complexity from single cells to higher-level animals,

and there are others also who have stated a similar belief.⁸

All aspects of our human existence are the result of the evolutionary process, including

emotions, instincts, drives and consciousness. It is highly improbable that any of these

things suddenly appeared in man without having been present in other life forms. As I have

continuously observed higher animals, there is no longer any doubt in my mind that they have

all of the above, including emotions and consciousness.

Konrad Lorenz also has indicated that the appearance of self- awareness is an evolutionary

development. He suggests that the older physical, physiologic systems of the brain, which

earlier during the evolutionary process functioned more independently of each other, interacted

and fed back information to each other, thus resulting in an interacting system with the new

characteristic we now see as cognitive mind. This new system of mind evolved with the completely

new ability to appreciate itself (self-awareness), and to assume supremacy over its antecedents,

the physical systems of the body.⁹

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