Do octopuses, lobsters and insects have some form of consciousness? ‘Image of emotionless robots is debunked’

There is a “realistic possibility” that many invertebrates have “conscious experience,” the researchers write. Or at least squid, lobsters, crabs and insects. What do they mean by that?

Aerts: “In essence, they mean that these animals do more than respond to stimuli purely based on instinct. It is about the difference between a life that is ‘lived’ and one that is merely ‘lived’. There are indeed strong indications for that carefully defined form of consciousness.

“They do not claim that these animals have the same form of consciousness as we do, and are, for example, self-aware or capable of conducting an internal dialogue with themselves.”

What do they base that statement on?

“A lot of interesting research has been done into animal behavior in recent years. There are increasing indications that octopuses, lobsters and some insects can also experience pain in a way that is more complex than simply reacting to a stimulus with a reflex.

“For example, octopuses appear to avoid a place where they have received a painful injection afterwards, and they respond positively to substances that have a pain-relieving effect in us. And crabs appear to be able to make a trade-off between exposure to bright light or an electric shock – both unpleasant for the animals. This suggests that these animals experience pain in a more complex way than previously thought. Similar studies have previously shown that fish can also suffer pain.

“But this is about more than pain. For example, the authors refer to research in which bumblebees roll balls, behavior that resembles play. That type of research also suggests a more complex form of experience and refutes the image of these animals as unfeeling robots.”

‘A realistic possibility’ does mean: we’re not sure?

“The point they are making is that in some invertebrates we see behavior that we would consider indicative of consciousness in mammals and birds. Why would it be different for these animals? In any case, it quickly becomes very complicated if you want to explain that behavior in a different way. For mammals and birds they do talk about ‘strong evidence’ for consciousness.”

What implications does that have for how we treat those animals? For example, will it soon be an end to boiling lobsters alive?

“If there is a possibility that animals are conscious, then we should take this into account in animal welfare policy, according to the position. In the UK, for example, octopuses, crabs and lobsters are already recognized as ‘sentient beings’, just like vertebrates. Although this has no practical consequences for the time being. But this could mean, for example, that these animals must also be stunned before they are killed, or that rules will be introduced for octopus farms.

“Those implications will vary from species to species, depending on the specific capabilities. I don’t think we should protect insects in the same way as, for example, mammals. That is also not workable. Then it seems to me that we would better first take the welfare of agricultural, domestic and laboratory animals to a higher level.”

What could be improved there?

“The focus is often still on avoiding pain and suffering. That’s a pretty old-fashioned approach to wellness. While we now know that positive experiences are also important. This is hardly taken into account now.

“Research shows that more and more animals are capable of more than we thought. Animal welfare rules and society are changing, but they are lagging behind.”