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Originally Posted by Bring_Back_Shantz
See, I don't think that is self awareness.
I'm not saying that your horse doesn't posess some level of it, but I don't think that's an example of it.
Learning does not necessarily equate to self awareness, they are different concepts.
If simply being able to learn was an indication of self awareness then there would be no debate, as it is very clear that just about any animal can be trained, and many can figure out complex tasks on their own.
What the article is talking about is something completely different.
I'm not saying that many animals do not show some leven (in some cases a very high level) of self awareness, quite the opposite infact, I think it's clear that they do. But My dog can do tricks, and my horse can get his own treats are not examples of this.
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So then what is the difference here?
1. A horse who waits for treats because he knows his owner will give him some.
2. A horse who knows where the treats are and grabs the box and tries to shake them out.
3. A horse who knows where the treats are, undoes the handles, takes off the lid, and gets his own.
Three different behaviours show very different reactions to the fact there are cookies in a box with handles. Horse #3 has to figure out to undo the handles with his mouth. The fact he doesn't want to wait like horse #1 means something to me.
In any case, the emotion most animals show and can learn from owners makes me think there is much more self-awareness than people believe. Animals don't get the respect from humans they should.