My dog is conscious. I have witnessed him fake a leg injury to avoid a confrontation with an aggressive dog. He did all the classical submissive dog behaviours of tail down, looking away etc. to diffuse a conflict situation, but then he went one stage further and faked a limp, which miraculously healed the moment he thought he was far enough away. This was a lie, which in some ways must have entailed (pun intended) a theory of mind; the idea that he understood that the other dog had a different point of view. My dog can be deceitful and hence is conscious. I have no doubt that all things are conscious, in ways that we can not fully comprehend as we are locked into our species specific form of consciousness. We are not exceptional, we are relational; in a relationship with our environment, our community, our family and friends, our nature and fundamentally even with our selves. Overstory expresses this in ways that are beautiful and profound, nested in stories that everyone can relate to. Thank you Richard. And a great interview too. Thank you, Tayari.
