Tone of Voice and Mind : The Connections between Intonation ...

154 Consciousness and cognition
Behaviorally, it is certain that human beings are more than slightly oversized
monkeys primarily because of talents with language, tools and music – and
all three involve functional asymmetry of the brain. Conversely, the biological
commonality among many mammalian species, including man, is reflected in
the extreme similarity of neuronal physiology and neurotransmitter biochemistry.
There are few if any meaningful differences among mammalian species
at the cellular level, so that the apparent “awareness” that we normally acknowledge
to exist in human beings and certain other mammals is likely to
be a function of the similarity in underlying neuron biology.
In the following two chapters, I argue that, unlike the lateralized cerebral
functions that distinguish human beings from other animal species, the issues
in consciousness studies should begin with the known similarities among all
animal brains. Topics concerning specifically human consciousness will again
demand consideration of hemispheric specialization (Chapter 8), but we share
with many mammalian species a rudimentary level of animal “awareness” that
kicks in well before sophisticated language functions and the complexities of
the asymmetrical use of the cerebral hemispheres. As a consequence, questions
about animal awareness must be addressed at a level where our commonality,
rather than our human uniqueness, is central.