What is the adequate terminology to talk about animal behaviour? Is terminology referring to mental or emotional states anthropomorphic and should therefore be prohibited or is it a necessary means to provide for an adequate description and should be encouraged? This question was vehemently discussed in the founding phase of Ethology as a scientific discipline and still is. This multi-layered problem can be grasped by using the concept of methodological signatures, developed by Köchy et al. (2016c). It is designed to analyse and systematically compare animal research approaches by examining their common parameters. By examining the works of Konrad Lorenz (1903–1989) and Nikolaas Tinbergen (1907–1988), this paper offers new insights both on a methodological and theoretical level. Methodologically, the application of the concept of methodological signatures is illustrated; theoretically, the principles of Classic Ethology are analysed. My aim is to illustrate how the problem of scientific access to animal subjectivity was addressed in the history of Ethology by analysing statements about animal sentience. For this purpose, I will first outline the general discussion about animal subjectivity and the tension between anthropomorphism and empirical adequacy. I introduce my own theoretical and methodological framework before presenting an analysis of Lorenz’ and Tinbergen’s methodological signatures. Thereby, I show how the question of terminology is deeply embedded in a network of epistemological, methodological and ontological concepts and establish key characteristics in regard to ethological approaches to animal subjectivity. Finally, I shed light on the possibility of using this typology to examine current frameworks of animal welfare research.
...MoreSimilar Citations
Book
Burkhardt, Richard W., Jr.;
(2005)
Patterns of Behavior: Konrad Lorenz, Niko Tinbergen, and the Founding of Ethology
Chapter
Burkhardt, Richard W., Jr.;
(2011)
Ethology's Traveling Facts
Article
Marga Vicedo;
(2023)
Beyond the Instinct Debate: Daniel Lehrman’s Contributions to Animal Behavior Studies
Article
Kelle Dhein;
(2021)
Karl von Frisch and the Discipline of Ethology
Book
Vicedo, Marga;
(2013)
The Nature and Nurture of Love: From Imprinting to Attachment in Cold War America
Article
Brigandt, Ingo;
(2005)
The Instinct Concept of the Early Konrad Lorenz
Book
Kruuk, Hans;
(2003)
Niko's Nature: The Life of Niko Tinbergen and His Science of Animal Behaviour
Article
Crist, Eileen;
(1998)
The ethological constitution of animals as natural objects: The technical writings of Konrad Lorenz and Nikolaas Tinbergen
Book
Celentano, Marco;
(2011)
Konrad Lorenz e l'etologia contemporanea: l'eredità problematica di uno scienziato inattuale
Article
Munz, Tania;
(2011)
“My Goose Child Martina”
Article
Marga Vicedo;
(2023)
Epistemological discipline in animal behavior studies: Konrad Lorenz and Daniel Lehrman on intuition and empathy
Book
Roell, D. Rene;
(2000)
The World of Instinct: Niko Tinbergen and the Rise of Ethology in the Netherlands (1920-1950)
Thesis
Munz, Tania;
(2007)
Of Birds and Bees: Karl von Frisch, Konrad Lorenz and the Science of Animals,1908--1973
Article
Vicedo, Marga;
(2009)
The Father of Ethology and the Foster Mother of Ducks: Konrad Lorenz as Expert on Motherhood
Article
Martin Böhnert;
Christopher Hilbert;
(2018)
“Other Minds Than Ours”: A Controversial Discussion on the Limits and Possibilities of Comparative Psychology in the Light of C. Lloyd Morgan’s Work
Article
Richard W. Burkhardt;
(2016)
Niko Tinbergen: A Message in the Archives
Article
Kressley-Mba, Regina A.;
(2006)
On the Failed Institutionalization of German Comparative Psychology, Prior to 1940
Article
Clement Levallois;
(2018)
The Development of Sociobiology in Relation to Animal Behavior Studies, 1946–1975
Article
Marga Vicedo;
(2018)
The ‘Disadapted’ Animal: Niko Tinbergen on Human Nature and the Human Predicament
Chapter
Taschwer, Klaus;
(2002)
Von Gänsen und Menschen. Über die Geschichte der Ethologie in Österreich und über ihren Protagonisten, den Forscher, Popularisator und Ökopolitiker Konrad Lorenz
Be the first to comment!