The Moral Consideration of Nonhuman Animals: How Can We Identify Which Beings Are Conscious?1

A variety of ethical positions consider that the ability of an individual to be aware of what befalls him or her —in a more o less complex manner— is the indispensable attribute for that being to be per se morally considered. Nowadays, nevertheless, we lack a direct method to identify the ability of an individual to be conscious and, therefore, to corroborate the belief that certain beings —many nonhuman animals included— are conscious. Throughout this article I will analyze the questions related to this issue, and in particular the different scientific tools that we have in order to construct hypothesis about the probability of individuals of being conscious. As we shall see, at present we can come to the conclusion that a 1 Recepción: 1 de enero de 2010. Aceptación: 1 de abril de 2010.