Ryu

Animals and Feelings

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Ryu 2 Table of Contents Introduction............................................................................................................................4 Background Information........................................................................................................4 Literature Review...................................................................................................................5 Literature Analysis.................................................................................................................7 Conclusion .............................................................................................................................7 References..............................................................................................................................9

Ryu 3 Outline I. Introduction II. Background Information A. Primary goal of every organism of Darwinism B. Definition of emotion and feeling from Damasio III. Literature Review IV. Literature Analysis A. Darwinism B. Damasio C. Panksepp D. Bekoff E. Ashford V. Conclusion
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Ryu 4 Grace Ryu Mr. Coyner English 8 21 May 2012 Animals and Feelings I have seen so many times where an animal doesnt behave the same way he or she did because of some form of grief. My dog avoids me after I scold her for peeing on the totally wrong places and she acts like I dont even exist because shes extremely stubborn and doesnt like confessing wrong in her behavior; however, she feels guilty because knows she did something wrong. Then the next day, shes all over me as if the day before never happened! Could this mean that her anger towards me possibly cooled down? And could it really be that she feels guilty? Does she actually feel pain? Do people actually think that animals have feelings? Background Information There are several reasons why scientists believe animals have feelings or dont. According to Darwinism, all living organisms share a common goal: to reproduce as much and as well as possible. For some creatures, like insects, have a predetermined and routinized pattern. However mammals, fish, or reptiles is less so they use emotions. This means that a system of neurons work together to produce a predictable, and instinctual action to avoid or seek an experience, based on the animals experience weather it is good or bad. However, do animals feel through the process? Up to here, experts agree. Tables turn when neuroscientist Antonio R. Damasio of the University of Iowa defines primary and social emotions and feelings. He says that emotions in general, are physical signals of the body responding to stimuli and that feelings are a stem from self reflections (Wilhelm). Basically, an organism registers the
student 6/4/12 9:56 AM Comment: Define primary and social emotion student 6/4/12 9:57 AM Deleted: h student 6/4/12 9:55 AM Comment: Try to be less rhetorical

Ryu 5 feeling of fear only after its brain becomes aware of the physical changes (Wilhelm). There are many controversy opinions on why scientists believe or not animals have feelings or not. Literature Review In the article, Do Animals Have Feelings, Klaus Wilhelm, shows the different aspects of different scientists that have observed animal feelings. First a viewpoint from Damasio shows that he is unwilling to believe that animals have feelings. For example, pygmy chimpanzees show pity for one another, however the chimpanzees dont know that they are expressing this emotion even though he holds account that he cannot prove what is going on in the animals head. Jaak Panksepp, a scientist from Bowling Green State University agrees that animals dont have self-reflection as humans. He believes that feelings arise in other ways, like in the limbic system, based on an experiment by Naomi I. Eisenberger. According to Jaak Panksepp, the emotions produced of being alone and vulnerable, and the stress it creates (Wilhelm) of a young guinea pigs mind activity, that has been prematurely separated from his or hers mother, are the same foundations produced by human sadness. Mark Bekoff ensures that animals will have a different type of happiness or sadness or any other emotion than humans because experiments show that the neurotransmitter dopamine [brain structure that is responsible for joy and desire in humans] is found in other mammals, too. He says that we cant prove that emotions are existent in animals, as we cant prove what exactly another person is feeling, however he knows based on lab work that some animals are self-aware of their feelings. An article by Bekoff, goes more in depth of why he thinks that animals have emotions. He emphasizes that the happy or sad that animals feel is different from a human beings happy or sad. Mark Bekoff claims that it is bad biology to argue that emotions dont exist

Ryu 6 in animals because it is what allows the social connection to speed up between several species, which is essential to survival to animals and humans, along with knowing right from wrong and empathy. Scientifically, spindle cells [which was only recently thought that existed only in humans and apes] were discovered in different whales in the same area in the brain. Spindle cells organize social events, feelings for others, and as well as some instinctual actions. Also, it was recently discovered that elephants have a large hippocampus, which is responsible for processing the information that can contain some flashbacks that the elephant can reflect to. Therefore, according to Bekoff, the different structures found in the brain of an animal are also found in the human brain that reflects similar emotions. However, Molika Ashford reports that the presence of spindle cells could possibly show human-like behaviors but this does not mean that animals have feelings. For example, dogs do not have spindle cells however they show human-like social senses or when apes do something good for one another without expecting an award or when they mourn for their loved ones. Another research has shown that animals have no feeling. A Barnard College researcher was testing whether guilty looks on dogs were actually reflecting bad behavior. In conclusion, regardless of weather they did something bad or not when their owners chided them, they all had the guilty look. On the other hand, Roger Abrantes implies the fact it is wrong to give human characteristics to associate human emotions on animals, which is also known as anthropomorphism. Like Bekoff, he believes that scientists cant prove an animals feeling or emotion like how humans cant prove what another person is feeling based on our feelings. Research has shown that some mammals along with primates are capable of expressing empathy, which Abrantes define as being able to set ourselves in the place of the other. He reasons that

Ryu 7 humans are willing to assume someones feeling because of our resemblance however, humans cant for animals. He states that we are the sons and daughters of the same DNA. In conclusion, he thinks that it makes no sense to state that humans know of feelings while animals dont. Literature Analysis There are five main aspects viewed in this paper about animal feelings. The first discussed is from Darwinism, that animals like mammals use emotions to achieve the main, and primary goal of all organisms; to reproduce as often and as well as possible. Second, Damasio believes that animals dont have feelings but have emotions. He has defined that feelings are what is installed in the brain after an organism has reflected what has happened. Jaak Panksepp, like Damasio, believes that humans are the only ones to be able to think about their emotions he also adds on that feelings produced by animals happen because of their brain structure, presents the third aspect. Similar to Panksepp, Marc Bekoff has observed same brain structures that are responsible for emotions were found in some animals. However, he is positive that animals have a different type of an emotion, for example, a different type of happiness from humans. He argues that it is bad biology to state that humans know of feelings while animals dont. Roger Abrantes agrees with Marc Bekoffs ideas. Bekoff admits that we cant prove weather animals are able to feel because we cant communicate and ask them what they are feeling. On the contrary, Molika Ashford says that just because of some brain structures doesnt mean that animals have feelings. These arent all the theories on why animals have feelings or not, there are a lot more and scientists are thrilled to see the different possibilities. Conclusion

Ryu 8 Based on numerous sources, the answer to the big question is; yes, animals have feelings. To some scientists, emotions are instinctual behaviors while feelings are what are reflected based on the emotions, for some it is different. It is clear that just as humans cant prove what another person is feeling just as we cant prove that animals have feelings or dont. It is not just to be able to say that we know of another humans feelings just because we are humans and have something in common, while neglect the presence of an animals feeling. Apart from the research shown above, we need to respect and take care of all of Gods creation. If we can put ourselves in another persons shoe why not an animals? Therefore, the evidence reveals that scientists do not all agree on the extent that animals resemble human feelings. The different theories come from different experiments that show brain structures that are responsible for producing emotion that are found in humans, how animals react to certain situations, and some by logic because some believe that it is not reasonable to state that humans know of feelings and animals dont. Bottom line of all the scientists who has contributed to this research, is regardless of weather animals have feelings or not, treat them well cause youll never know due to the fact that we cant ask them about how they feel.

Ryu 9 References Abrantes, Roger. Do Animals Have Feelings. Roger Abrantes: Life is great! WordPress, 29 Aug. 2011. Web. 11 May 2012. <http://rogerabrantes.wordpress.com/2011/08/29/doanimals-have-feelings/> Ashford, Molika. Do Animals Have Feelings? Lifes Little Mysteries. TechMediaNetwork, 28 Dec. 2010. Web. 11 May 2012. <http://www.lifeslittlemysteries.com/963-do-animalshave-feelings.html> Bekoff, Marc. Do Animals Have Feelings? VeganSA: The South African Vegan Directory. VeganSA, n.d. Web. 11 May 2012. <http://www.vegansa.com/veganism-animals-havefeelings.php> Toothman, Jessika. Do animals have emotions? Animal Planet: Surprisingly Human. Discovery Communications, LLC, n.d. Web. 11 May 2012. <http://animals.howstuffworks.com/animal-facts/animals-have-emotions.htm> Wilhelm, Klaus. Do Animals Have Feelings? Scientific American, Inc. Scientific American, a Division of Nature America, Inc, Feb/March 2006. PDF file. 11 May 2012. <http://www.animalliberationfront.com/Philosophy/Morality/Speciesism/feelings.pdf>