From Ben Haller
Daniel Everett cites a definition of consciousness by Christopher Koch: “the thing that feels like something”. He claims that such a definition “clearly imputes consciousness to non-human animals” (11 July, p 42). Given that he appears to be claiming to have a way to measure consciousness in other entities – a problem with which science and philosophy have been struggling for centuries – it might be appropriate to ask Everett, in the words of professors on exam papers, to show his work. How does he know which entities feel things and which entities don’t?
Ithaca, New York, US
