The Cambridge Declaration: animals have conscience

The Cambridge Declaration was a milestone in science, but above all a breaking point in man’s relationship with nature. Several of the most prestigious scientists in the world met to launch a definitive conclusion: animals also have consciousness.

This manifesto It was launched after several conferences in which the topic of consciousness in humans and animals was discussed.. The Cambridge Declaration was prepared by an international group of neuroscientists, neuropharmacologists, neurophysiologists, neuroanatomists and computer neuroscientists, in the presence of the famous Stephen Hawking.

What does it mean to say that animals also have consciousness? In a very general way, that They perceive their own existence and that of the world around them, so they operate on this basis.. They notice the difference between their being and that of others, and between their individual existence and that of others.

Let’s see what other claims were made in the Cambridge Declaration.

Octopuses have approximately 500 million neurons.

The Cambridge Declaration

The Cambridge Declaration was held on July 7, 2012 at the University of Cambridge (United Kingdom). The person in charge of preparing the final manifesto was the neuroscientist Philip Low. This expert is one of the most prestigious in the world in the field of research on the animal nervous system.

Scientists saw the need to make this statement, since Previously, there was a prejudice that animals did not have consciousness. This was based on the idea that this function depended on the neocortex, a specifically human area of ​​the brain.

However, advances in neuroscience have shown that brain areas that differentiate us from other animals are not those that are related to consciousness. Likewise, the brains of other animals have a much higher complexity in other aspects, compared to humans.

Animals and consciousness

The Cambridge Declaration not only established that animals were aware of their existence and that of the world. It was also pointed out that This consciousness allows us to experience states of pleasure and happiness, as well as those of pain and suffering. In other words, animals can also be happy or suffer.

The experts indicated that in humans, affective states cause excitation in subcortical neural networks. Studies showed that the same thing happens in animals. This was proven by causing artificial excitation of certain regions of the brain. In both humans and animals the result is a certain emotional state. That is to say Animals experience emotions and feelings in a similar way to how humans do..

On the other hand, reference was made to experiments carried out with hallucinogens. As we know, these substances cause a visible alteration of consciousness in people. In various experiments, these types of products were administered to animals and the results are very similar. This corroborates that emotional sensations are not so different between our species and others.

Other interesting data was also aired:

There is no clarity about the way in which the more developed senses of animals other than humans change their consciousness.No animal is masochistic. They carry out intentional actions, seeking their own well-being, beyond mere instinct.In several animals the cerebral hemispheres are not connected. It is unknown whether this implies the existence of more than one consciousness in them. Elephants, magpies, dolphins and some fish recognize themselves in the mirror.

Dolphins have self-awareness and are able to attribute it to other individuals; what is known as theory of mind.

The implications of the Cambridge Declaration

The important thing about the Cambridge Declaration is that it clearly states that Animals are conscious beings and, therefore, “sentient”. This means that they have the ability to experience situations as positive or negative, and to take pleasure or suffer.

The key impact of this manifesto is in the fact that it calls into question all activities that involve some form of animal abuse. From bullfighting to the industrial production of animals for meat consumption.

It is important to note that the scientists who prepared the Cambridge Declaration They made reference to mammals, birds and “many other creatures” such as octopuses. This is another of many topics that will probably change the world in the near future.

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