this post was submitted on 21 Aug 2025
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Dogs can be intelligent but that doesn't have to be linked to consciousness or awareness of self. See dolphins and how dogs and other animals react to their reflection.
Also, dogs are domesticated, so they don't just run on pure instinct. Selective breeding for traits is a thing, so wild animals (like bees as described in the article) is what I'm basing it on.
The reflextion test is overestimated. It won't really tell you much about self-awareness with either result.
Insects are a lot different from mammals. The further the organism is from us genetically, the harder it is to estimate anything about the way it experiences the world. It is reasonable to think there is as much diversity as there is in physical traits.