Preference to frosh. The study of non-human thought and cognition raises distinctive methodological and philosophical challenges, often putting pressure on orthodox views in cognitive science. What are animal minds like, and how do they compare to our own? What exactly can we learn about these questions from controlled experiments? Does failure at a task imply absence of an ability or trait? What other methods do we have for understanding animal cognition? How might what we learn about other animals shed light on our own mental processes? We will address these and other many issues through a combination of readings, discussions, and visits with researchers who conduct this research.
3 units · Letter (ABCD/NP)
Preference to frosh. The study of non-human thought and cognition raises distinctive methodological and philosophical challenges, often putting pressure on orthodox views in cognitive science. What are animal minds like, and how do they compare to our own? What exactly can we learn about these questions from controlled experiments? Does failure at a task imply absence of an ability or trait? What other methods do we have for understanding animal cognition? How might what we learn about other animals shed light on our own mental processes? We will address these and other many issues through a combination of readings, discussions, and visits with researchers who conduct this research.
Offered in Autumn 2025 at Stanford University.