Suffering: A neurofunctional account

Colin Allen (University of Pittsburgh)

Abstract: In this talk I appeal to behavioral and neurological evidence to argue for a neurofunctional account of suffering which distinguishes it from pain and other negative affect states, and relates it to learning and cognitive control. The evidence I cite draws largely from studies conducted with human subjects, but my goal is to develop an account that is also suitable for the purposes of comparative psychology and animal ethics. I will also draw out some implications of the account for human-animal comparisons. The account offers a way of understanding why human suffering spans a greater range than the suffering of animals, while allowing that nonhuman animals may suffer more than humans in situations of equivalent pain.