>But there is a vast gulf between humans, even those with severe developmental disabilities, and the smartest animals. Only a handful of animals can even pass t

>But there is a vast gulf between humans, even those with severe developmental disabilities, and the smartest animals. Only a handful of animals can even pass the simplest knowledge to other, or learn by seeing others of their kind do something. You're not doing your argument any favors with this kind of hyperbole. Many animals mourn and communicate that mourning. Many animals have been shown to pass along information to others about helpful or hurtful humans, good places to hunt or forage, even elements of culture like behavior or personal calls. African wild dogs will die of a syndrome akin to heartbreak if separated from and unable to communicate with their group. It's not too much to say that humans and other animals think and communicate differently. Most do not have the physiological capacity for certain types of advanced and abstract thought that are central to our own experience of reality. But that's a far cry from having no semblance of conscious cognition. Too many animals exhibit behavior indicating an awareness of the self as a separation from the other and the environment for your characterization to be unequivocally correct.