this post was submitted on 21 Feb 2026
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Aren't most animals sentient? Wiktionary says that it means "Experiencing sensation, thought, or feeling". Even simple animals like flies are capable of "sensation", and most complex animals experience all three. I would say "sapient" ("possessing intelligence or a high degree of self-awareness") in this context.
You're the scientist, what is the scientifically correct/used/accepted meaning of "sentient"? Or has it been found that most animals do not, or at least do not consciously in the way humans do, sense, think, or feel? Correct me if any of what I'm saying is wrong.
Of course animals are sentient. The arrogance of people to think we are the only animal capable of sentience, or intelligence of any kind. We have evolved to be better at some things than other animals, but they are all smarter than we are in ways. Dogs know more about smells than we do, remember a smell for life. They have a better sense of direction, as many wild animals do, and are better at remembering landscapes and vast wild areas.
You get into cold blooded animals and it changes somewhat, but all warm blooded animals are capable of more than we give them credit for. Cold blooded probably too but in a different way.