Truly minimal criteria for animal sentience
Mark Solms
Abstract
The criteria for determining animal sentience proposed in the target article are sensible but they lack an explicit functional justification for the focus on pain. This commentary provides an abbreviated account of the most basic functional principles that underpin animal sentience and articulates some minimal criteria for determining its presence.
Topics & Concepts
SentienceAnimal welfareFocus (optics)PsychologyEpistemologyCognitive sciencePhilosophyBiologyEcologyPhysicsOpticsPsychology of Moral and Emotional JudgmentOlfactory and Sensory Function StudiesHuman-Animal Interaction Studies