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Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

The multiple realizability thesis (MRT) suggests mental states have many physical forms. This study finds animal consciousness evolved through limited, convergent paths, supporting a constrained version of MRT, not unlimited realizability.

Keywords:
animal consciousnesscompensatory differencesconvergent evolutionevolutionary constraintsmental constraint thesismental phenomenamodest identity thesismultiple realizability

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Area of Science:

  • Philosophy of Mind
  • Evolutionary Biology
  • Neuroscience

Background:

  • The multiple realizability thesis (MRT) posits that mental states can be realized by diverse physical structures.
  • Classical MRT suggests nearly unlimited physical variations for any given mental state.
  • Shapiro's mental constraint thesis (MCT) proposed that evolutionary constraints limit the physical realizations of mental traits.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the applicability of the multiple realizability thesis to the evolution of consciousness in animals.
  • To determine if animal consciousness exhibits unlimited or constrained physical realizations.
  • To evaluate Shapiro's mental constraint thesis against classical MRT in the context of animal consciousness evolution.

Main Methods:

  • Examined the evolutionary history of consciousness across different animal clades.
  • Analyzed shared and divergent traits associated with consciousness in vertebrates, arthropods, and cephalopods.
  • Contrasted classical examples of multiple realizability with evidence supporting evolutionary constraints.

Main Results:

  • Consciousness evolved independently in three distinct animal lineages: vertebrates, arthropods, and cephalopod mollusks.
  • These clades share convergent traits, including complex sensory organs, brains, memory capacity, and directed mobility.
  • The observed evolutionary pathways align with Shapiro's mental constraint thesis, indicating limited, convergent routes to consciousness.

Conclusions:

  • The evolution of animal consciousness supports a constrained version of the multiple realizability thesis, refuting the classical, unconstrained version.
  • Evolutionary and physiological constraints lead to convergent development of consciousness-associated traits in disparate animal groups.
  • Shapiro's mental constraint thesis provides a more accurate framework for understanding the evolution of consciousness than standard MRT.