In this enlightening discussion, Jacob Beck, a Research Chair at York University, delves into the intricate psychology of animal minds. He challenges the notion of anthropomorphism, questioning if our perceptions of animal emotions are accurate. The conversation highlights how species like chimpanzees and desert ants exhibit cognitive abilities, such as understanding numbers and navigation. Beck discusses the complexities of comparative psychology, exploring how language influences our interpretation of non-human cognition. His insights provoke deep reflection on our connection with animals.
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question_answer ANECDOTE
Early Philosophical Curiosity
Jacob Beck reflects on his childhood, mowing lawns and pondering philosophical problems.
This early curiosity about knowledge led him to explore the problem of induction.
question_answer ANECDOTE
A Secret Mentorship
Unsure about majoring in philosophy, Beck stumbled upon a research position with Professor Gary Hatfield.
Hatfield's mentorship, disguised as a research assistantship, solidified Beck's path into philosophy.
insights INSIGHT
The Language of Thought
Beck's interest in animal minds stemmed from philosophical questions about language and thought.
Animals present a challenge to the linguistic model of thought, being too complex for simple explanations yet too simple for language-based thought.
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The Routledge Handbook of Philosophy of Animal Minds
Jacob Beck
Kristin Andrews
The Number Sense How The Mind Creates Mathematics
Stanislas Dehaene
The Number Sense delves into the innate ability of humans and some animals to understand numbers. The book, written by Stanislas Dehaene, covers experiments showing that human infants and various animals possess a rudimentary 'number sense'. It discusses how this sense is wired into the brain, similar to our perception of color or objects in space. The book is divided into sections that explore number sense in animals, babies, adults, and geniuses, and it includes discussions on brain damage, brain plasticity, and the philosophical aspects of mathematics. Dehaene also examines the impact of language on numerical abilities and the specific brain regions involved in mathematical cognition.
The relationship we sustain with non-human animals is rich and complex. We take care of them, we exploit them, we eat them, and we tell stories about them. The psychological dimensions of this multifaceted relationship are usually taken for granted, but it’s puzzling when you think about it. We don’t bat an eye upon hearing of seductive snakes, gentle, honey loving bears or mystery solving, criminal catching dogs. And yet, when pushed, many of us will readily admit that animals don’t have exactly the same psychological traits and tendencies as humans. How can this be? When we personify animals, are we grasping something real or is it all fiction? How can scientists study the minds of animals? What are the consequences of all of this?
Jacob Beck is Research Chair in the Philosophy of Visual Perception in the Department of Philosophy at York University in Toronto. He carried out his doctoral studies at Harvard before a post-doc at Washington University in St Louis and a teaching job at Texas Tech. He has written terrific articles on pre-linguistic forms of representation, and co-edited the Routledge Handbook of Philosophy of Animal Minds with Kristin Andrews.
Cognitations 
