Knowledge in Animals and Machines

Drawing on philosophical theories of knowledge, I develop a conceptual framework for knowledge in animals and machines. I use this framework to engineer a new concept of large language model (LLM) knowledge and propose a taxonomy of knowledge that spans biological and artificial categories, from C. elegans to LLMs. The approach lays a foundation for a rigorous account of how knowledge can be realized across animals and machines while at the same time respecting the diverse biological and physical sources of such knowledge.

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Publication Details

Journal
Journal of Neuroscience
Published
2026-01-07
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1523/jneurosci.0939-25.2025
Primary Topic
Language and cultural evolution
Type
article
Field-Weighted Citation Impact
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article

Knowledge in Animals and Machines

L. A. Paul
Journal of Neuroscience
Language and cultural evolution
article

Knowledge in Animals and Machines

L. A. Paul
article en

Abstract

Drawing on philosophical theories of knowledge, I develop a conceptual framework for knowledge in animals and machines. I use this framework to engineer a new concept of large language model (LLM) knowledge and propose a taxonomy of knowledge that spans biological and artificial categories, from C. elegans to LLMs. The approach lays a foundation for a rigorous account of how knowledge can be realized across animals and machines while at the same time respecting the diverse biological and physical sources of such knowledge.

Journal of NeuroscienceVol. 46(1)
Munich School of Philosophy (DE), Yale University (US), Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München (DE)
Quality Education
Openalex Percentile: Top 96%
Language and cultural evolution
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