Talks and shows

The hidden world of animal consciousness

Explore behavioural and neuroscientific research on animal sleep, with philosophical theories of dreaming.

K Mitch Hodge via Unsplash

Are humans the only dreamers on Earth? Dreams provide an invaluable window into the cognitive and emotional lives of nonhuman animals, giving us access to a seemingly inaccessible realm of animal experience.

Join David Peña-Guzmán as he explores behavioural and neuroscientific research on animal sleep with philosophical theories of dreaming. From suggestions that many animals run ‘reality simulations’ while asleep to the profound implications for contemporary debates about animal cognition, ethics, and rights.

In this talk, discover a convincing case for animals as conscious beings and examine the thorny scientific, philosophical, and ethical questions it raises.

Event type

This is a livestream event where the speaker and audience come together online. 

You will have priority access to the recorded video for two weeks after the event has taken place.

For more information on livestreams, see the information below, or visit our FAQs page. Please use the event link you have been provided with.  

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About David Peña-Guzmán

David is looking at the screen, wearing dark rimmed glasses and a red T-shirt. He is smiling.
David Peña-Guzmán

David M. Peña-Guzmán received his PhD in Philosophy from Emory University in 2015. His dissertation, 'The Rational Turn in Continental Philosophy: Bachelard, Canguilhem, Foucault,' is an interrogation of the school of historical epistemology that appeared in France sometime between the 1920s and the 1950s.

David works on historical epistemology, animal studies, phenomenology, feminist theory, bioethics, and critical social theory. His work has appeared in journals such as 'Foucault Studies', 'The Journal of French and Francophone Philosophy', and 'Hypatia'. Before joining the faculty at San Francisco State University in 2017, Dr Peña-Guzmán was a postdoc at The Centre for Evolutionary Ecology and Ethical Conservation (CEEEC) in Ontario, Canada and at the Johns Hopkins Berman Institute of Bioethics in Baltimore, MD. 

David's latest book, When Animals Dream: The Hidden World of Animal Consciousness, is available from Amazon and all good bookstores.

Timing for the livestream

The livestream will go live at 6.55pm and the introduction will begin at 7.00pm. If you register but miss the livestream, the video will be available to you via the same link for two weeks after the event date.

Event terms and conditions

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