The Dissenter

#1196 Walter Veit: A Philosophy for the Science of Animal Consciousness

10 snips
Jan 1, 2026
Guest
Walter Veit
Walter Veit, a Lecturer in Philosophy at the University of Reading and author of A Philosophy for the Science of Animal Consciousness, shares fascinating insights on animal minds. He proposes a bottom-up approach to consciousness, focusing on its evolutionary roots. Veit critiques the vision bias in consciousness science and emphasizes the significance of studying diverse animal experiences. He introduces the concept of 'phenomenological complexity' and discusses how hedonic evaluation played a role in the origins of consciousness, inviting listeners to reconsider what it means to be conscious.
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INSIGHT

Start With Minimal Consciousness

  • Walter Veit argues we should study minimal forms of consciousness and trace gradual evolutionary development rather than start from human consciousness.
  • This bottom-up Darwinian approach reveals how simple subjective capacities could evolve into complex human experience.
INSIGHT

Consciousness As Decision Currency

  • Veit proposes consciousness evolved to solve decision-making and action-selection problems under ecological trade-offs.
  • Hedonic evaluation (pleasure/pain) likely served as a common currency enabling better in-the-moment choices.
INSIGHT

Phenomenological Complexity Matters

  • Phenomenological complexity reframes consciousness as multidimensional and varying across species instead of all-or-nothing.
  • Mapping experience against life-history challenges helps predict what forms of consciousness are plausible.
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