The article attempts to apply a tool known after Daniel Dennett reverse engineering in an endeavor to answer the question of how one can describe the minds of animals using concepts from the fields of philosophy of mind and cognitive science. Given that philosophy of mind has traditionally centered its inquiries on humans, it may seem that its characteristic conceptual framework is not suitable for describing the mental states of non-human beings. However, by demonstrating how categories created for classifying human behavioral-cognitive disorders can be applied to describe similar disorders in domestic animals, specifically dogs and cats, it can be argued that it is justified to extend the application of theories developed within the realms of philosophy of mind and cognitive science – as an interdisciplinary field that includes philosophical reflection – to encompass the minds of non-human animals as well.

This reconstruction of the cognitive processes and structures of the domestic cat is written from the cognitive-zoopsychological perspective and focuses only on selected processes, abilities and mental aspects of the cat, which, in the author’s opinion, are a necessary condition for ensuring the animal’s maximum welfare. The main goal of the article is to confirm the thesis that the scientific recognition of the richness of the mental world provides evidence for the need to increase welfare by adequately enriching the environment in which our cat is kept. The text is divided into two main parts, with the reconstruction of the lower and separately higher cognitive processes in the cat’s mind. The first part of the article briefly discusses the ability of cats to learn and some perception processes. The second part focuses on causal thinking, the phenomenon of consciousness and the social competences of the cat as well.

This reconstruction of the cognitive processes and structures of the domestic cat is written from the cognitive-zoopsychological perspective and focuses only on selected processes, abilities and mental aspects of the cat, which, in the author’s opinion, are a necessary condition for ensuring the animal’s maximum welfare. The main goal of the article is to confirm the thesis that the scientific recognition of the richness of the mental world provides evidence for the need to increase welfare by adequately enriching the environment in which our cat is kept. The text is divided into two main parts, with the reconstruction of the lower and separately higher cognitive processes in the cat’s mind. The first part of the article briefly discusses the ability of cats to learn and some perception processes. The second part focuses on causal thinking, the phenomenon of consciousness and the social competences of the
cat as well.

The aim of the study is to review the therapeutic effects of animals on human physical health and mental well-being, using the example of horses. The article discusses the phenomenon of zootherapy and cites the results of selected empirical research on therapy with horses. The presented results confirm the positive impact of horse-assisted therapy on the health of patients, regardless of age and type of ailments. In the physical sphere, the improvement mainly concerns general condition, muscle tone and balance, and motor skills. In the emotional and motivational area, the benefits include strengthening the sense of agency, increasing self-esteem and emotional regulation. In the cognitive sphere, improvements in attention, memory, speech and sensory perception are noted. In the social aspect, it develops the ability to cooperate and build close relationships. It was not possible to conduct a meta-analysis of the discussed studies due to their diversity in terms of objectives, procedures and selection of research groups.

This paper aims to present a new, modified mirror test procedure and to answer the question of whether the domestic horse (Equus caballus) is a self-conscious species in terms of reflexive consciousness. The new approach to the mirror test is characterised by a reduction in the animal’s exposure time to the mirror image, changes in the marker, and introduction of a control condition, which minimises the likelihood of false positive results. The sample includes 24 horses tested in two conditions. A quarter of the horses tested were able to detect a treat that was invisible to them, without seeing themselves in the mirror. This behaviour was interpreted as self-recognition. This proportion turned out to be statistically significantly different from the proportion expected in the null hypothesis, as shown by the McNemar test. In the light of the above results of the experiment and theoretical analysis of the characteristics of the species we draw a conclusion that the observed horses’ self-recognition is a likely mark of their self-consciousness.

The text comprises an annotated Polish translation of two consecutive chapters of Claudius Aelianus’ De natura animalium (XVI 17–18), devoted to the island of Sri Lanka (in ancient times called Taprobana, later Ceylon). Chapter XVI 17 describes the great marine turtles, i.e. the leatherback sea turtles (Dermochelys coriacea Vandelli), massively killed by the local people. Chapter XVI 18 features the great Ceylon elephants (Elephas maximus maximus L.), as well as marine monsters that live in the Indian Ocean. The concise description of the coastal dugong (Dugong dugon Müller), contained in this chapter, is the only surviving evidence of the knowledge of this animal preserved in Geco-Roman literature.

The text comprises the Polish poetical translation of two fragments taken from the first book of Oppian’s poem Halieutica. The first fragment contains a poetic invocation and a dedication to the Roman emperor Marcus Aurelius (H. I 1–9). The second extract describes the largest sea-monsters of the Mediterranean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean, including whales, sharks, dolphins, walruses and seals (H. I 360–408). The translation is accompanied by a short commentary and concise explanatory notes. In the central section of the article, the present author discusses selected problems connected with the species identification of the sea monster called φάλ(λ)αινα by the ancient Greeks.

The article focuses on the changes taking place within zoos, which are losing their anthropocentric character. This is influenced by new, ethical approaches of people operating within these institutions. The analysis also touches on the awareness of discrimination against certain groups of people and its impact on the oppressive treatment of animals. The intertwining of the fates of humans and non-humans makes their fates similar. This is alluded to by authors of literary testimonies. With the help of their work and previous activities, they try to subvert, allowing for the change of meanings and humanization of human and animal subjects. The argument is based on Antonina Żabińska’s prose Ludzie i zwie­rzęta (1968) and Patryk Pufelski’s diary, Pawilon małych ssaków (2022).

The article presents Mo Yan’s novel Big Breasts and Wide Hips as a text requiring from the Western audience what Roland Barthes defines as “exemplary reading”. In the novel, whose presented world is rooted in the Eastern philosophical order, a particular role is reserved for birds. Owing to its importance, the unique bird symbolism of Mo Yan’s work – sometimes deceptively similar to what Western readers might find familiar, yet, in fact, profoundly different – invites close reading. On this assumption, the author of the article attempts to highlight the role of hybrid bird-human characters in Mo Yan’s narrative in order to emphasize the significance of surprising transitions: in the novel, birds and people are forms of existence that smoothly flow into each other, and thus legitimize questions of ethical nature. The semiotic richness of the bird symbolism in Mo Yan’s novel emerges with particular energy in the context of cross-cultural analyses: both those concerning the coexistence of various cultural discourses in the fabric of the text itself, and those sensitive to the cultural roots of the researcher’s preconceptions.

The article is an aspectual interpretation of Philip Ridley’s debut film titled Reflecting Skin (1990). The author focuses on references to the animal world, showing the function of animal hybrids and totems in the reconstruction of the world of a traumatized child. The reading of the film is based on the assumption that Philip Ridley builds the world presented in his work on the references to the surrealist tradition of representation.

The article is the first part of a triptych on agency. It critically analyses those arguments drawing from the notion of free will (FW) that most frequently resurface in discussions of non-human minds within the context of the human-animal divide. By embedding the investigation within pragmatic philosophy, backed by broadly understood cognitive sciences, the author argues that this web of assertions is unconvincing, as FW’s ontology: 1) is inconsistent with current empirical knowledge; 2) appears to be a superficial construct, failing to reflect the intricacies of human decision-making processes; and 3) is inconsequential for experience. Rather than being a unique capability of the mind, FW reveals itself as an anthropocentric and WEIRD-made artefact, which lacks explanatory power regarding human behaviour. As such, when applied to non-human species, it qualifies as anthropofabulation. Consequently, the author proposes replacing FW with an empirically informed concept of agency derived from Karl Friston’s free-energy principle, supported by insights from the processual philosophy of biology. Such a framework allows for capturing the nature of agency in its advanced form, plausibly shared with at least some other species. It thus facilitates the construction of gradable concepts of moral agency, in the likes of Mark Rowlands’s category of “the moral subject.” Subsequent articles will discuss this subject matter further.

The review discusses the latest book by the famous primatologist Frans de Waal entitled Jak się różnimy. Gender oczami prymatologa [Different. Gender Through the Eyes of a Primatologist]. This popular science publication by a Dutch-American author addresses the similarities and differences between primates and humans, especially in terms of how both species approach the issue of sex roles. The review discusses the levels on which the primatologist makes interspecies comparisons, what conclusions he reaches and what significance it has for the discussion about human social roles.

In her latest monograph titled Ogrody zwierząt. Staropolskie zwierzyńce i menażerie [The Gardens of Animals. Old Polish Zoological Gardens and Menageries], Aleksandra Jakóbczyk-Gola describes zoological gardens and menageries in the former Republic of Poland and at the threshold of modernity. The author sets her research concerning the history of animal collections in a broad social and historical context, as well as in museological and environmental ones. The book presents the result of the most recent research on native and non-European fauna in the modern era. It provides a study of the structure and resources of ancient animal collections, including an analysis of the development and establishment of human-animal relationships in a cultural perspective, from ancient times onwards. It includes a history of animal collections from the regions of Mesopotamia, China, Africa and the Americas.

An interview with Justyna Szumacher – a traveler who dives (not in a protective cage!) with sharks in various places around the world – aims to show that these fish do not pose such a threat to humans as is commonly believed. Szumacher is considered an expert in diving with sharks in Poland, with extensive theoretical and practical knowledge about the behavior of these fascinating fish in their natural environment. It carries out activities aimed at raising awareness of the necessary protection of this apex predator, which is in danger of extinction, and shaping the appropriate perception of these animals by refuting the ethologically false image of a man-eating shark established in popular consciousness by the