Why do animals have minds? The inference to the best explanation argument 1. Individuals of species x engage in behaviors y. 2. The best scientific explanation for an individual engaging in behaviors y is that it has a mind 3. Therefore it is likely that individuals of species x have minds. The inference to the best explanation argument justifies the attribution of mental states to animals based on the robust predictive and explanatory power that is gained from such attributions. As the argument goes, without such attributions we would be unable to make sense of animal behavior. this argument relies on ordinary scientific reasoning; of two hypotheses the one that better accounts for the phenomenon is the one to be preferredWhy do animals have minds?  The inference to the best explanation argument:  1.Individuals of species x engage in behaviors y.  2.The best scientific explanation for an individual engaging in behaviors y is that it has a mind.  3.Therefore, it is likely that individuals of species x have minds.  The inference to the best explanation argument justifies the attribution of mental states to animals based on the robust predictive and explanatory power that is gained from such attributions. As the argument goes, without such attributions we would be unable to make sense of animal behavior. This argument relies on ordinary scientific reasoning; of two hypotheses, the one that better accounts for the phenomenon is the one to be preferred