Miles Jackson wrote:
>
>
> Yeah, same experience living about 35 human-years with cats. One day
> in my kitchen I dropped a large pickle jar on my big toe. I howled in
> agony. The cat looked up from her food bowl because of the noise and
> then nonchalantly went back to her food.
I have no opinion on "empathy" -- as Jerry says it is not precisely defined enough to argue over. But on "theory of mind," if Miles also denies that to all animals, this is almost the first time I've disagreed with Miles on anything. It is also the first time he has expressed a strong opinion based on personal experience rather than on extant research in the field.
Carrol