Vortrag "Are humans the only rational animals?"

We would like to invite you to a guest lecture by Giacomo Melis (Philosophy, Uni Stirling, https://ared.stir.ac.uk/) on 1 April 2022 (Friday morning) in Lecture Hall (Hörsaal) C of the Vetmeduni (building AE, Veterinärplatz 1, Vienna).

Title: Are humans the only rational animals?

Abstract: While many philosophers endorse the claim that the capacity for rational thought is what sets apart humans from other animals, cognitive ethologists and other empirical scientists show little hesitation in describing animal behaviour as rational. There is thus a tension between the conception of rationality typically endorsed by philosophers and that employed by empirical scientists. Understanding the source of this tension requires, in the first instance, clarity on what is meant by the term ‘rational’. In the first part of the talk, I will distinguish between different notions of rationality. I will individuate the one that matters for engaging with the philosophers’ claim in one that links rational agency with the capacity for reflection. In the second part, I will outline a characterization of the distinction between reflective and unreflective rational agency which makes room for the empirical testing of some basic form of reflective thinking in non-linguistic subjects. The main upshot of the presentation will be a methodological one. I will argue that, against the opinion of many philosophers, answering the question whether non-human animals may be rational must draw on empirical research.

The session will start with a lecture by Ludwig Huber (Comparative Cognition, Messerli Research Institute, Vetmeduni) where he will overview relevant empirical research on animal cognition, summarized in his book "The rational animal" (https://www.suhrkamp.de/buch/ludwig-huber-das-rationale-tier-t-9783518587713).

Programme:
9:00 - 9:40 Ludwig Huber lecture
9:40 - 9:50 burning questions 
9:50 - 10:30 Giacomo Melis lecture 
10:30 - 11:00 (max. 11:30) discussion