Guilty Robots, Happy Dogs

The Question of Alien Minds

David McFarland

272 pages | 196x129mm

978-0-19-921930-8 | Paperback | 12 March 2009

Price: £7.99

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An accessible introduction to the fascinating questions that arise where the philosophy of mind meets artifical intelligence and animal behaviour
Asks whether it is scientifically and philosophically justifiable to suppose that animals or robots could have minds like ours
Shows how different philosophical standpoints can be traced through to considerably different conclusions about the nature of non-human minds, and how - rather than simply being abstract ideas - they are of great relevance to topics such as animal welfare and cybernetics

When we interact with animals, we intuitively read thoughts and feelings into their expressions and actions - it is easy to suppose that they have minds like ours. And as technology grows more sophisticated, we might soon find ourselves interpreting the behaviour of robots too in human terms.

It is natural for us to humanize other beings in this way, but is it philosophically or scientifically justifiable? How different might the minds of animals or machines be to ours? As David McFarland asks here, could robots ever feel guilty, and is it correct to suppose your dog can truly be happy? Can we ever know what non-human minds might be like, or will the answer be forever out of our reach?

These are central and important questions in the philosophy of mind, and this book is an accessible exploration of the differing philosophical positions that can be taken on the issue. McFarland looks not only at philosophy, but also examines new evidence from the science of animal behaviour plus the latest developments in robotics and artificial intelligence, to show how many different - and sometimes surprising - conclusions we can draw about the nature of 'alien minds'.

Readership: Readers of popular science and anyone interested in the philosophy of mind and consciousness, especially the issue of non-human (specifically animal and robot) minds. This book will also interest those computing and artifical intelligence, as well as biologists studying animal behaviour, and those concerned with animal welfare.

The specification in this catalogue, including without limitation price, format, extent, number of illustrations, and month of publication, was as accurate as possible at the time the catalogue was compiled. Occasionally, due to the nature of some contractual restrictions, we are unable to ship a specific product to a particular territory. Jacket images are provisional and liable to change before publication.

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