No need for certainty in animal sentience
Yew‐Kwang Ng
Abstract
This commentary supports Crump et al.’s (2022) point that where risks to welfare are severe, strong evidence of sentience is sufficient to warrant protecting welfare. Crump et al.’s eight criteria for sentience are also useful. Flexible decision-making (5) and flexible behaviour (6) are consistent with Ng (1995). The concession that the “no-need-for-sentience” proposition is unnecessary also strengthens the importance of the target article’s conclusions.
Topics & Concepts
SentienceWarrantCertaintyAnimal welfarePoint (geometry)PropositionWelfarePsychologyBusinessEnvironmental ethicsEpistemologyPhilosophyPolitical scienceBiologyEcologyMathematicsLawFinanceGeometryPsychology of Moral and Emotional JudgmentHuman-Animal Interaction StudiesAnimal Behavior and Welfare Studies