Which Living Things Are Actually Conscious? | Lucia Melloni

*How can we know whether another living being is conscious if we can never experience its mind directly?* Lucia Melloni explains why scientists rely on behavior, anatomy, and neural activity to infer consciousness across babies, mammals, birds, fish, insects, and octopuses—and why uncertainty itself may require a more cautious ethical approach. 0:00 How Scientists Infer Consciousness 2:51 Consciousness in Mammals 6:22 Fish, Insects, and Octopuses 8:18 Why Consciousness May Not Be a Simple Scale 12:03 Why Consciousness Has Ethical Consequences Lucia Melloni leads the Neural Circuits, Consciousness, and Cognition Research Group at the Max Planck Institute for Empirical Aesthetics in Frankfurt, and holds a position as Research Professor in the Department of Neurology at NYU Grossman School of Medicine. *More from Lucia Melloni on Closer To Truth:* * Theories of Consciousness - Closer To Truth - Core Topic: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLFJr3pJl27pI-jElLJw75y9CaSQL2bSgj * Singer and Melloni’s Large-Scale Synchrony: https://loc.closertotruth.com/theory/singer-and-melloni-s-large-scale-synchrony * Cabral-Calderin, Hechavarria, and Melloni’s Neuroethological Approach: https://loc.closertotruth.com/theory/cabral-calderin-hechavarria-and-melloni-s-neuroethological-approach * Closer To Truth contributors: https://closertotruth.com/contributor/lucia-melloni/ *Subscribe to Closer To Truth:* https://www.youtube.com/@CloserToTruthTV *Join the Community:* * Membership (5,000+ videos): https://closertotruth.com/register/ * Audio Podcast: https://closertotruth.podbean.com * Support the Show: https://closertotruth.com/donate/ * Official Merchandise: https://www.bonfire.com/store/closertotruth/ *Follow Us:* * Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CloserToTruthTV/ * Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/closertotruth/ * X: https://x.com/CloserToTruth Closer To Truth, hosted by Robert Lawrence Kuhn and directed by Peter Getzels, presents the world’s greatest thinkers explor