Uloga svijesti u životinjskoj komunikaciji
The present thesis examines the role of consciousness in animal communication. Although consciousness is commonly ascribed to humans, the possibility of animal consciousness has become a heatedly debated topic. As it is typically argued, there are several levels of consciousness, the highest level, the so called higher-order consciousness, being the distinctive feature of humans, while there is no agreement on what type of consciousness can be ascribed to different non-human animals. On the other side, there is a high degree of agreement, among scientists and laypersons alike, on the fact that animals communicate successfully, and that communication facilitates the execution of their basic biological functions. The goal of the present thesis is to examine the connection between the two phenomena – consciousness and communication – in cases of our animal cousins: what type of consciousness is peculiar to distinct animal species, at which stage of evolutionary development has consciousness occurred, and what was the role of communication in this development. With help of numerous examples, and with references to contemporary studies, it is shown that some non-human animals manifest such conscious states – higher-order conscious states, in particular – which can undoubtedly be ascribed exclusively to humans. In addition, the role of such states in advanced forms of animal communication will be elucidated, together with the selection pressures that have determined the development of a neural system sustaining intentional communication acts and their recognition by conspecifics.