Towards an Integrative Account of Self-Location in Non-Human Animals

Abstract

Self-location is a crucial element of self-consciousness. It is also a constitutive part of our experience as spatial beings. Philosophers often claim that both elements are exclusive to conceptual creatures with linguistic skills. However, more basic non-conceptual forms of spatial experience deserve to be elucidated. Based on Bermudez’s account of a non-conceptual point of view, I will argue for an integrative account of self-location in non-human animals. To develop my argument, I will focus on practical reasoning. Particularly, I will argue that navigation re-presents a case of practical reasoning that requires dominating an allocentric frame of reference –specifically, cognitive maps.