A Sentience Article from All-Creatures.org

Animal Sentience: What Goes on Inside the Minds of Animals?

From Shyla Vadjinia, New Roots Institute
January 2024

We are quite familiar with the idea that we are not the only ones experiencing our world with cares, fears, desires, and love. We see this reflected in film, traditions, social norms, and most commonly in our homes with our companion animals. Instead, the complexity we face today is granting the same sentiments we give to our companion animals, and often even wild animals, to those who may be on our dinner plate.  

Do Animals Have Sentience?

Have you ever wondered what your dog or cat was thinking? Many people consider their companion animals to possess distinct qualities similar to their human peers. For instance, you may believe your cat has an introverted personality when compared to another cat whom you perceive to be outgoing and friendly towards all. For many, these distinctive personality traits may even extend to their pet snakes, fish, mice, or tarantulas. Nonetheless, whatever traits you recognize within your companion animal, you cherish and value them for their one-of-a-kind characteristics.

But what about the millions of other animals? What are they thinking? For instance, what about the animals which often serve our human uses? The obvious difference between our companion animals, compared to wild or farmed animals, is simply the amount of time we intimately spend with them. We take the time and intention to seek out our companion animals’ unique qualities, as we often view them as a part of our family.

It is easy to refrain from associating the same qualities we see in our cats and dogs with those of the animals we consume or use for experimental purposes. Yet we cannot deny that nearly all animals have the capacity to feel strong negative and positive emotions, possess unique personality traits, and understand the world around them in ways we may never understand.

What Is Animal Sentience?

Animal sentience is defined as an animal’s ability to feel emotions such as joy, pleasure, pain, and fear. While some organisms can simply experience biological harm to their anatomy and functionality, sentient beings experience the additional harm of undergoing pain and suffering, which matters to them. Furthermore, the experience of these feelings often shapes an animal’s preferences and desires, leading to the development of unique personality traits.

It’s important to differentiate cognition from sentience to better understand what the experience of sentience entails. Cognition refers to the mental processes that produce perceptions, memories, learning, computational skills, expectations, and similar faculties. Cognition helps animals evolve to deal with their external world in better ways, while sentience helps animals understand and improve their internal environment. In most cases, animals possess certain degrees of both sentience and cognition, leading to a unique and often misunderstood experience of life.

Includes:

• What Animals Are Sentient Beings?
• What Animals Are Not Sentient?
• Why Animal Sentience Is Important

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Please read the ENTIRE ARTICLE HERE.

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