I agree with humane treatment of animals for moral and practical reasons. But the question is are they sentient in the same way people are? I've heard cows have the intelligence of a human toddler but frankly I stand by the statement that humans are not born human they are taught to be and toddlers don't yet qualify.
That opens up an interesting discussion of what is sentience? You and I assume we are, but how about borderline retarded guy who can barely tie his shoes? Where is the line between toddler and us? I could Google sentience tests, but that takes the fun out of discussing.
I think a big part of it would be language. Those beings that can communicate through language would be sentient and those that cannot would need further scrutiny. Crows would pass since they demonstrate use of tools and adaptation whereas a toddler has only rudimentary use of tools (toy stuff).
Now here's a fun thought. AI is advanced to the point where they are millions of times more mentally capable and knowledgeable than we are. How distinguishable are we from a toddler or even a cow?
The cow thing reminds of The Far Side comics where cows were up to all kinds of mischief except when humans were around they would pretend to just graze. Maybe they are just ultra lazy and don't care about being "smart". LOL!
Language is not inherent in our species. It is a learned ability. Birds chirp at each other with meaning from the get go. Self determination seems to be the only difference between us and most animals. And recognition of self.
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