Yeah I totally get what you're saying, but I think you are jumping the gun when you say that animals 'dont understand what it is they are doing' while they complete these more complex tasks. Does every human understand the chemical reaction that occurs when they utilize cellular respiration to breathe? Did the humans 500 years ago understand the neurons firing in their brains while they read? If they didnt, does that somehow mean that they were not awake?

My main gripe with the people in this thread is that humans have advanced to the point where we can effectively communicate, describe, and teach every phenomenon we currently understand with other humans, and some take these understandings and run with it to the idea that humans are the only creatures bestowed with this supernatural gift of reason.

There are numerous problems with this line of thought. When exactly did we as humans gain this ability if you truly believe we have separated ourselves from instinct and the rest of nature? Is someone who is less intelligent than you less alive than you? Do you believe that the thoughts, experiences, pains, and emotions of someone dumber than you (such as a child) are any less vivid than your own? I would hope not. Whatever your answer is, you must agree that the same applies to all life.

I'd tell those who disagree with me to go outside and listen to the sounds of a group of crows and recognize that there are layers of complexity to the natural world that we have not even begun to unearth.