Assessing unlimited associative learning as a transition marker

Irvine, Elizabeth ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1861-9533 2021. Assessing unlimited associative learning as a transition marker. Biology and Philosophy 36 , 21. 10.1007/s10539-021-09796-0

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Abstract

The target paper (building on Ginsburg and Jablonka in JTB 381:55–60, 2015, The evolution of the sensitive soul: Learning and the origins of consciousness, MIT Press, USA, 2019) makes a significant and novel claim: that positive cases of non-human consciousness can be identified via the capacity of unlimited associative learning (UAL). In turn, this claim is generated by a novel methodology, which is that of identifying an evolutionary ‘transition marker’, which is claimed to have theoretical and empirical advantages over other approaches. In this commentary I argue that UAL does not function as a successful transition marker (as defined by the authors), and has internal problems of its own. However, I conclude that it is still a very productive anchor for new research on the evolution of consciousness.

Item Type:	Article
Date Type:	Publication
Status:	Published
Schools:	English, Communication and Philosophy
Additional Information:	Open Access This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License
Publisher:	Springer Verlag (Germany)
ISSN:	0169-3867
Date of First Compliant Deposit:	19 March 2021
Date of Acceptance:	8 March 2021
Last Modified:	06 Jan 2024 03:41
URI:	https://orca.cardiff.ac.uk/id/eprint/139923

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