BLOG #2

"A dog could not have the thought 'perphaps it will rain tomorrow'" - Wittgenstein


I believe this statement is false. Mr. Wittgenstein is arguing that 'since animals lack language they lack consciousness.' Just because animals can not speak a language us humans can not understand does not mean they lack complete consciousness. "A dog could not have the thought 'perphaps it will rain tomorrow.'" This could not be more untrue. Dogs and other animals in general do have the power to think it will rain tomorrow. If you have ever been around a dog before it rains or we have a storm they act up and start squealing. This is the dogs way of communicating to humans that a storm is coming. Guide dogs for the blind are another example of dogs communicating to humans without speaking a human language.
Another example would be police dogs used to find drugs, missing people, or bring down armed suspects.

Here we see the dog start to "act up" when he/she smells the drugs.
So therefore, it is wrong to say dogs and other animals lack complete consciousness because they lack language.