There are a lot of obstacles in the way of our understanding animal intelligence - not the least being that we can't even agree whether nonhuman species are conscious. We accept that chimps and dolphins experience awareness we like to think dogs and cats do. But what about mice and newts? What about a fly? Is anything going on there at all?

Summary

This quote highlights the challenges in comprehending animal intelligence due to the lack of consensus on whether nonhuman species have consciousness. While we acknowledge the awareness and intelligence of certain animals like chimpanzees and dolphins, there is uncertainty regarding species like mice, newts, or flies. Understanding animal intelligence becomes considerably complicated when determining if any cognitive processes exist in these less complex creatures. The quote points out the difficulty in reaching a unified understanding of animal intelligence due to the varying levels of consciousness observed across different species.

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