Can Animals Think? What Does Research Tell Us?

Can animals think? People used to think this was a simple question and that the answer was nope. But it’s a complicated question with more answers than you can throw a stick at.

A Young Dog Named Wally. (Source: Photo by the Author.)

My History With This Question

One day, my grade school teacher declared that animals cannot think. Humans can think, but animals can’t. It was as simple as that. Even as a child, I thought that sounded wrong.

I didn’t have the words (or the courage!) to ask, “But what do you mean by think?” Or even “But what about dolphins?”

I didn’t even have a pet (allergies), but I knew the teacher was giving animals short shrift. Sure, we don’t know if the simpler animals can think. (And define “simpler.”) But cats and dogs? Horses? Lions, tigers, and bears (oh my)?

It would be one thing if she said, “Most animals live by instinct rather than rational thought.” Maybe that’s what she meant — and she was trying to keep it simple.

Or maybe she truly believed that animals didn’t think. It was the late 1960s, so many believed that. Maybe she was brought up to believe that animals didn’t think. That makes it easier to believe animals don’t feel. And that’s kind of sad. That attitude makes it easier for people to dismiss the suffering of animals. It makes it easier for people to do…