General Discussion

jeff47

(26,549 posts)

18. And sentience is.....?

Mon Jan 5, 2015, 12:24 PM

Jan 2015

We keep having to redefine our concept of 'sentient' as we do more research. Is it tool use? Definition of self? Nervous system? and so on.

Additionally, the article is positing that all farm animals are sentient. That is debatable, depending on the animal and the definition of sentience you want to use.

If we wish to use a broad enough definition of sentience to cover all farm animals, then that definition would appear to drift into covering plants too.

There's also people positing that "meta creatures" exist, where the individual creatures are really just part of a single, larger creature. Such as when the OP claimed the Earth is a sentient creature in a later post. Which would mean to actually apply the standards in the OP, only photosynthetic and chemosynthetic creatures are moral. The rest are viewing others as slaves/food.

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Highlight:

All Forms of Life Are Sacred. [View all] kpete Jan 2015 OP

I'm not sure you can say that about asian carp... snooper2 Jan 2015 #1

Or crapping on a good post. Octafish Jan 2015 #28

traditions are sacred! snooper2 Jan 2015 #31

*all* forms of life? plants? bacteria? viruses? fungi? unblock Jan 2015 #2

The Earth is a Sentient Living Organism kpete Jan 2015 #3

+1 Zorra Jan 2015 #17

thank you for that beautiful image niyad Jan 2015 #30

from NASA kpete Jan 2015 #34

Sentient? Alive? I don't think so. aikoaiko Jan 2015 #25

No, the Earth is a drifting hunk of rock... SidDithers Jan 2015 #48

I see no evidence that the earth as a whole is sentient Shivering Jemmy Jan 2015 #51

Rats and cockroaches are not on my sacred list. hobbit709 Jan 2015 #4

Neither are spiders, stinging insects (except honeybees), poisonous snakes, huge snakes, Art_from_Ark Jan 2015 #61

I agree with everything, but one point. MoonRiver Jan 2015 #5

I am with you MoonRiver kpete Jan 2015 #9

This: chervilant Jan 2015 #6

Well said! MoonRiver Jan 2015 #7

Thanks so much! chervilant Jan 2015 #19

Me too! MoonRiver Jan 2015 #23

I agree as well, but with a sad and ironic twist GliderGuider Jan 2015 #43

Finding alternative forms of protein chervilant Jan 2015 #47

If it was just protein replacement I'd have been OK GliderGuider Jan 2015 #50

Have you read Ann Louise Gittleman? chervilant Jan 2015 #59

I agree with this, and for reasons of kindness, but in addition, if another argument is needed, ellenrr Jan 2015 #54

Its an interesting argument el_bryanto Jan 2015 #8

"All forms of life are sacred?" Archae Jan 2015 #10

I have no problem with your chicken sandwich kpete Jan 2015 #16

+1. We are part of nature, not above it. Adrahil Jan 2015 #67

And plants? jeff47 Jan 2015 #11

I think the article clearly referred to "sentient beings." MoonRiver Jan 2015 #12

And sentience is.....? jeff47 Jan 2015 #18

Typical meat eater rationalizations. MoonRiver Jan 2015 #24

Keep telling yourself that. That way you can ignore the questions. jeff47 Jan 2015 #38

Interesting tangent, chervilant Jan 2015 #29

And ripping apart creatures while they're alive isn't exactly "humane" jeff47 Jan 2015 #39

Most of the veggies I grow chervilant Jan 2015 #44

You chew your food. jeff47 Jan 2015 #46

OMG!! chervilant Jan 2015 #58

Yep. jeff47 Jan 2015 #64

Sentient being a word created and defined by human beings The2ndWheel Jan 2015 #22

Have you ever had a relationship with a cow, pig or chicken? MoonRiver Jan 2015 #26

Which is fine The2ndWheel Jan 2015 #32

Thank you for being reasonable. It's rare in these type of discussions. MoonRiver Jan 2015 #56

How about the eyes of a potato? n/t benz380 Jan 2015 #33

How is your inability to relate to a cabbage any different jeff47 Jan 2015 #41

I don't really know what my husband or children are experiencing. MoonRiver Jan 2015 #55

Then what was your point of bringing up cows, pigs and chickens? (nt) jeff47 Jan 2015 #65

Because I have interactions with them similar to what I have with my pets. MoonRiver Jan 2015 #68

lines and boundaries kpete Jan 2015 #37

It would be easy if there was moral fact The2ndWheel Jan 2015 #13

George Carlin on the sanctity of life. iandhr Jan 2015 #14

+1000 "save the crabs". lumberjack_jeff Jan 2015 #45

An inconvenient truth for many. Zorra Jan 2015 #15

Zorra kpete Jan 2015 #20

My dear kpete... Zorra Jan 2015 #21

I hope you know that there are DUers chervilant Jan 2015 #35

My dear chervilant, Zorra Jan 2015 #49

Chris Hedges is, of course, correct. Octafish Jan 2015 #27

Nature, and especially human nature, is messy. hunter Jan 2015 #36

I have killed animals--deer, game birds, fish-- Jackpine Radical Jan 2015 #40

loved this kpete Jan 2015 #42

re informational perspective...I've killed for biological information HereSince1628 Jan 2015 #62

Well, except for mosquitoes. Fuck them. NuclearDem Jan 2015 #52

Not to mention any critter whose name ends in "tick." Jackpine Radical Jan 2015 #63

William Kunstler had become an advocate for the animals before he died. nt ellenrr Jan 2015 #53

Tell that to the ants I sprayed in my garage this morning. Throd Jan 2015 #57

There goes BioFuel, along with enslaving corn and wheat. One_Life_To_Give Jan 2015 #60

I'll take mine medium-rare, please! Adrahil Jan 2015 #66

River of Time seveneyes Jan 2015 #69

Unless they are a Democratic voter for over 30 years... NightOwwl Jan 2015 #70