Final answer:
Rene Descartes is the Rationalist philosopher who argued that animals do not truly possess consciousness. Philosophers like Kant and Damasio have added complexity to the discussion on human cognition and morality. The philosophical debate continues to evolve, weighing rationality against the role of emotions and ethical considerations.
Step-by-step explanation:
The Rationalist philosopher who argued that animals act as if they are conscious, but really are not, was Rene Descartes. Descartes asserted that animals cannot reason as humans do and therefore do not have consciousness or a soul. This led some of his followers to believe that animals lack mental states entirely, including the experience of pain.
Descartes' perspective raises ethical questions about our treatment of animals. If mental states are tied to brain states, could scans provide insight into thoughts and even detect lies? This leads us to question if such technology should be used in legal settings, such as on witnesses testifying under oath.
Immanuel Kant's philosophy acknowledged that human understanding is inherently limited by our perceptual framework. Kant suggested that we cannot know things 'in themselves' because our brains structure our experiences, ultimately affecting how we perceive the universe.
Various other philosophical debates touch upon the nature of consciousness, free will, and morality. For instance, the ethics articulated by Kant argued that moral actions are determined by whether they are performed out of duty, with a 'good will' distinct from animal impulses. Nietzsche and existentialist perspectives suggest that our personal experiences and emotions play a role in shaping our moral constructs, which challenges traditional notions of objective morality.
The consideration of whether rationality determines an individual's moral status extends into discussions around the value of human life at various developmental stages or in conditions where rational thought is impaired.
In addition to rationalist and moral philosophy debates, the emotional component of cognition presented by Antonio Damasio is critical in understanding that emotions are deeply intertwined with rational thinking, challenging the historical philosophical bias against emotion.