Clark's (in press) article makes a strong argument that prediction or reduction of “surprisal” comprises a synthesizing principle in understanding neural mechanisms. But if brains – all brains – are “essentially prediction machines,” how do we account for the apparently qualitative differences between humans and non-human animals in the ability to inspect and reflect on one's mental states, and to effectively foresee the consequences of various actions? For example, Spelke (2003) points out that although all animals find and recognize food, only humans developed the art and science of cooking. Although all animals have to understand (and predict!) the material world, only humans systematize their knowledge as science (p. 277). But we do not need to go into something as complex as formalized science to see the wide gap between human and non-human minds.
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