Historical Outline of the Basic Questions of Animal Cognition

A cat runs across the meadow because a dog is chasing it. Arriving at an oak tree, it hooks at the last moment and saves itself on a neighbouring maple tree. The panting dog is inattentive for a moment, overlooks the cat’s quick manoeuvre, and barks at the oak. The cat is safe. This thoroughly realistic example has been used by philosophers such as Norman Malcolm [8] and Donald Davidson [4] to discuss the question of whether animals can be mistaken since the dog, at least at first glance, is mistaken when it barks at the wrong tree. But does this really occur? Or is an error possible only when someone is able to distinguish between true and false? Only someone who is convinced of something, has an opinion, or can form a judgement can then err in it.