Significant Update to Stanford Encyclopedia Entry on Animal Consciousness by Professor Jonathan Birch
Tuesday 13 January 2026
In January 2026, Professor Jonathan Birch, Director of the Jeremy Coller Centre for Animal Sentience, completed a substantial revision of the Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy’s entry on Animal Consciousness.
The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy (SEP) is a widely used, open‑access, peer‑reviewed scholarly reference work published and maintained by Stanford University. Each entry is written and regularly updated by subject experts.
The latest revision broadens and deepens the entry to reflect developments in the field. The updated version now includes new material on:
- Non‑Western perspectives, expanding the discussion beyond traditional Western frameworks.
- Methodological challenges in interpreting evidence across species.
- Evolutionary “big picture” questions, offering a wider view of how consciousness may have emerged and diversified.
The result is a more inclusive, methodologically transparent, and up‑to‑date resource for students, researchers, and readers interested in the study of animal minds.