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I don't quite understand the poles toward which we are gravitating. Rather, my belief lies between the two -- one has a material body with a material brain that generates material thoughts, which compose a seemingly immaterial mind (I think mind and soul are interchangeable terms, but I prefer mind); however I do believe the mind has an entirely physical basis, which probably means I'm in the Dickinson camp. I also like her explanation better. The idea of there being an immaterial part of me actually makes me feel less comfortable and less connected with the universe.

I was perplexed in class on Thursday when some people said they didn't think animals had minds or thoughts, because I have two pet rats and firmly believe that they are little thinkers. I read this interesting National Geographic article on animal minds. It raises the question of what intelligence is and gives examples of studies that showcase animal cognition. I don't know how else to explain the animals presented in the article or ones like Koko the signing gorilla and Chantek the signing orangutan other than to conclude that some animals have conscious minds. To think that humans are the only conscious beings on this planet seems implausible to me.