In the 17th century, the French aristocracy became fascinated by automata—ingeniously whirring, singing, mechanical toys. French philosopher René Descartes declared that animals are also a kind of automata. Descartes’ key philosophical statement, known as Cartesian dualism, held that the human body is simply a machine directed by the mind. He went on to claim that humans have a mind and animals do not. In his 1637 treatise, "Discourse on the Method"—best known for the phrase “I think, therefore I am”—Descartes argued that everything in nature, other than the human mind, can be explained through mechanics and mathematics. He stated that animals were no more than machines with physical parts and movements. His clinching argument was that since animals cannot speak, they have no soul.
Animal Consciousness
The suggestion that there is a fundamental difference between humans and animals no longer bears the weight of scientific evidence. Tool use was once thought to be uniquely human, but it has long been observed in animals such as chimpanzees and crows. Similarly, it was once thought that testing whether or not an animal can recognize itself in a mirror might prove or disprove consciousness; most species, but not all, fail the test. It is now acknowledged that there are many other ways in which animals might be self-aware.
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