An expert view on #PlantSentience by Jonathan Birch, head of the The London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE) ASENT (Foundations of Animal Sentience) project: https://www.wellbeingintlstudiesrepository.org/animsent/vol8/iss33/20/
WBI Studies Repository
Disentangling sentience from developmental plasticity
Plants, like animals, display remarkable developmental plasticity, inviting the metaphorical use of terms like “decision” and “choice”. In the animal case, this is not taken to be evidence of sentience, because sentience is a complex product of development…
"So for evolutionary reasons it would be logical for the baseline experience of animals to be at least slightly positive. It is plausible that just being alive, perceiving, exploring, and experiencing the world, could itself bring happiness to animals." https://theconversation.com/what-is-life-like-as-a-wild-animal-probably-nicer-than-you-think-205322 A more hopeful perspective on the lives of free-ranging sentient beings... by two previous #Sentientism guests Heather Browning and Walter Veit 🤩
The Conversation
What is life like as a wild animal? Probably nicer than you think
For animals to find the motivation to forage and mate, life must be at least slightly positive.
"Limits of Sentience" and "Boundaries of Consideration".
Write ups of two Whitehead Lecture talks at Harvard by Peter Godfrey-Smith. https://metazoan.net/108-whitehead-lectures/
Write ups of two Whitehead Lecture talks at Harvard by Peter Godfrey-Smith. https://metazoan.net/108-whitehead-lectures/
"Brilliant and insightful ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Amazing how two questions ('What's real?' and 'Who matters?') asked consistently, kindly and occasionally with challenge produce such beautiful conversations."
What an awesome review for our #Sentientism podcast!
Amazing how two questions ('What's real?' and 'Who matters?') asked consistently, kindly and occasionally with challenge produce such beautiful conversations."
What an awesome review for our #Sentientism podcast!
"A Philosophy for the Science of Animal Consciousness" - Philosopher Dr. Walter Veit joins me for the second time on the Sentientism YouTube and Podcast - Episode 158.
https://spotifyanchor-web.app.link/e/QZmQvVnaNAb
https://youtu.be/aEDtTl8sPPQ
https://spotifyanchor-web.app.link/e/QZmQvVnaNAb
https://youtu.be/aEDtTl8sPPQ
Spotify for Podcasters
158: "A Philosophy for the Science of Animal Consciousness" - Walter Veit - Sentientism by Sentientism
Walter is an inter-disciplinary philosopher. He works primarily on the Philosophy of Cognitive and Biological Sciences, the Philosophy of Mind, Applied Ethics and particularly in the intersections of those fields. Much of his recent work has focused on animal…
#Sentience legislation: useful but nowhere near sufficient?
https://faunalytics.org/analyzing-the-value-of-sentience-legislation/# @faunalytics summary by Stephen Vrla based on original study by Max Carpendale.
https://faunalytics.org/analyzing-the-value-of-sentience-legislation/# @faunalytics summary by Stephen Vrla based on original study by Max Carpendale.
Faunalytics
Analyzing The Value Of Sentience Legislation - Faunalytics
Many countries have enacted legislation recognizing the sentience of nonhuman animals. But is this the most effective way to improve animal lives?
"Should non-sentient agents matter too?" Philosopher (and long-time Sentientism FB group member!) Nicolas Delon joins me for #Sentientism Episode 159 on YouTube and Podcast. I hope you enjoy our conversation as much as I did. Let us know! Thanks Nico! https://youtu.be/f6hM34jEHzU
YouTube
Should non-sentient agents matter too? - Philosopher Nicolas Delon - Sentientism Ep:159
Nicolas (https://sentientism.info/sentientist-pledge/nicolas-delon) is Associate Professor of Philosophy and Environmental Studies at the New College of Florida. In Fall 2023, he will join the College of Charleston as Assistant Professor of Philosophy.
In…
In…
Just in case you can think of any podcasts to vote for... 😘 https://www.britishpodcastawards.com/voting
#India 🇮🇳 has a rich history of pro-animal thought. So why aren't we using it? Varda Mehrotra from Samayu joins me for #Sentientism episode 161 on YouTube and Podcast. I hope you enjoy as much as I did - let us know! https://youtu.be/P9vhBTTIUGA
YouTube
"It's got to be farmer led. It's got to be government led." - Varda Mehrotra - Sentientism Ep:161
Varda Mehrotra (https://sentientism.info/sentientist-pledge/varda-mehrotra) is an animal advocate and movement builder, exploring intersectional solutions. Most recently, she founded Samayu to undertake intersectional work and apply a systems approach for…
Should animals thank farmers for their existence? https://www.3cr.org.au/freedomofspecies/episode/should-animals-thank-farmers-their-existence
3CR Community Radio
Should Animals Thank Farmers For Their Existence?
Jamie Woodhouse questions the logic of “the logic of the larder” – the view that it is better to bring animals into the world to kill them eg in animal agriculture, rather than those animals not being brought into existence at all. The show also features…
2,000 Sentientism YouTube subscribers! Thank you for your awesome support 😍 https://www.youtube.com/@Sentientism/
Is #Humanism really the future?
Interesting talk about the likely future of religious / spiritual / supernatural belief vs. Humanism / atheism as rough stand-ins for naturalistic epistemology. It's focused mostly on Eur/NA and the UK - but there are some comments on the global picture too.
Yes I've left a comment pointing out that Humanism won't be "the future" unless it drops #anthropocentrism. This talk - as with nearly all Humanist content - doesn't mention non-human sentients.
https://youtu.be/FfI7VgkDFMg
Interesting talk about the likely future of religious / spiritual / supernatural belief vs. Humanism / atheism as rough stand-ins for naturalistic epistemology. It's focused mostly on Eur/NA and the UK - but there are some comments on the global picture too.
Yes I've left a comment pointing out that Humanism won't be "the future" unless it drops #anthropocentrism. This talk - as with nearly all Humanist content - doesn't mention non-human sentients.
https://youtu.be/FfI7VgkDFMg
YouTube
Why humanism is the future, with David Voas | Humanists UK Convention 2023
Seven years ago David gave a TEDx talk entitled ‘Why there is no way back for religion in the West’. It has been viewed 1.8 million times. Six months ago, he featured in a humorous video by YouTube personality Max Fosh, whose tale that ‘I technically started…
"I document their lives so we can see and remember that they are individuals"
Legendary photojournalist 📸 Jo-Anne McArthur of @WeAnimals Media joins me for #Sentientism episode 162 on YouTube and podcast. Please share & enjoy 💚!
https://youtu.be/8NKc84eKF0Q
Legendary photojournalist 📸 Jo-Anne McArthur of @WeAnimals Media joins me for #Sentientism episode 162 on YouTube and podcast. Please share & enjoy 💚!
https://youtu.be/8NKc84eKF0Q
YouTube
"What I learned from that power was that I didn't want it" - Jo-Anne McArthur - Sentientism Ep:162
Jo-Anne (https://sentientism.info/sentientist-pledge/jo-anne-mcarthur) is a photojournalist, humane educator, animal rights activist and author. She is known for her We Animals project, a photography project documenting human relationships with animals. Through…
Many deride the "S-risks" (suffering risks) topic as spurious sci-fi. That's until they realise we've already brought some S-risks into reality. Great video: https://youtu.be/tPiq4njipdk
YouTube
DYSTOPIAN FUTURES: Risks of Astronomical Suffering
The rise of “longtermism” has seen a surge of academic interest in the vast positive future potential of an Earth-originating civilization. This movement has accompanied a growing concern about potential existential risks which could curtail our vast potential.…
We expect animal rights publications to cover animal rights... But maybe it's an even more powerful sign of positive change when "human rights" publications start publishing more about non-human animal rights? Good to see OpenGlobalRights with their new "Justice for Animals" Up Close series:
www.openglobalrights.org/up-close/justice-for-animals/#up-close
And going back a while of course #sentientrights: https://www.openglobalrights.org/from-human-rights-to-sentient-rights-the-next-generation-of-rights-thinking/
www.openglobalrights.org/up-close/justice-for-animals/#up-close
And going back a while of course #sentientrights: https://www.openglobalrights.org/from-human-rights-to-sentient-rights-the-next-generation-of-rights-thinking/
OpenGlobalRights
Justice for Animals
Humans have decried cruelty towards animals for millennia, but this rhetoric has not translated into protection: Institutions like factory farming and poaching, as well as human domination of the planet, have caused untold suffering. Simultaneously, research…