> If we look at nature, we see the opposite: almost all animals seem to experience some sort of emotional reaction to stimulus, even if they don't seem capable

> If we look at nature, we see the opposite: almost all animals seem to experience some sort of emotional reaction to stimulus, even if they don't seem capable of complex rational thinking. Well, my (personal) par for "sufficiently complex thinking" is pretty low. I would say any animal we can perceive emotion in has far more complex thinking than the theoretical lower bar. I would take the perspective that emotions are probably present in some animals that are so non-human we don't assume they have consciousness.