#695 Susana Monsó: How Animals Experience and Understand Death
RECORDED ON OCTOBER 13th 2022.
Dr. Susana Monsó is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Logic, History and Philosophy of Science at Universidad Nacional de Educación a Distancia. She has been a post-doc fellow at the University of Graz and at the Messerli Research Institute in Vienna, where she was the recipient of the Lise Meitner FWF Austrian Science Fund. Her work focuses on the socio-cognitive abilities of animals and their ethical implications. She is the author of “La zarigüeya de Schrödinger: Cómo viven y entienden la muerte los animales”.
In this episode, we focus on “La zarigüeya de Schrödinger”. We start by talking about the field of comparative thanatology. We discuss how we can know that non-human animals have minds, and what a concept is. We talk about stereotypical and cognitive reactions to death. We discuss the issue of anthropomorphism and anthropectomy. We discuss the criteria for a minimum concept of death. We talk about emotional reactions to death, including mourning behaviors. We discuss how sociality might point to an understanding of death, as well as the importance of experience. We talk about behaviors like violence and predation, infanticide, and thanatosis. Finally, we talk about the ethical implications of animals having a concept of death.
Time Links:
Intro
Comparative thanatology
Can we know that non-human animals have minds?
What is a concept?
Stereotypical and cognitive reactions to death
Anthropomorphism and anthropectomy
Having a concept of death
The criteria for a minimum concept of death
Emotional reactions to death
Mourning behaviors
How sociality can point to an understanding of death
The importance of experience
The evolutionary origins of a concept of death
The opossum
Violence and predation
Infanticide
Thanatosis
Does a concept of death have to be conscious?
Ethical implications
Follow Dr. Monsó’s work!
Follow Dr. Monsó’s work:
Faculty page: https://bit.ly/3QvpnIr
Website: https://bit.ly/3QsxaGV
PhilPeople page: https://bit.ly/3bbpbxW
La zarigüeya de Schrödinger: https://amzn.to/3ASlqrJ
Twitter handle: @Susana_MonsO