Jonathan Birch

Because it's about, well, is there a realistic possibility of sentience established by at least one view in that zone of reasonable disagreement? And is there an evidence base that is rich enough to allow us to identify welfare risks and to design and assess precautions? To me, I hope at least people find that pragmatic shift helpful.

Because it's about, well, is there a realistic possibility of sentience established by at least one view in that zone of reasonable disagreement? And is there an evidence base that is rich enough to allow us to identify welfare risks and to design and assess precautions? To me, I hope at least people find that pragmatic shift helpful.

And I think if you're thinking about animals like crabs, for example, to me, it's quite clear that they are sentience candidates in that sense, and that we do have to worry about welfare risks posed by the way we treat them, despite the fact that, of course, we're still uncertain about whether they're sentient or not.

And I think if you're thinking about animals like crabs, for example, to me, it's quite clear that they are sentience candidates in that sense, and that we do have to worry about welfare risks posed by the way we treat them, despite the fact that, of course, we're still uncertain about whether they're sentient or not.

I think it's everything at once. I think neural evidence and behavioral evidence are both powerful evidence. And they're more powerful when pursued together as part of a coordinated research program than in isolation from each other.

I think it's everything at once. I think neural evidence and behavioral evidence are both powerful evidence. And they're more powerful when pursued together as part of a coordinated research program than in isolation from each other.

What we have with a lot of invertebrate animals is quite tantalizing, I think, because often you've got a lot of behavioral evidence showing surprising things, impressive things. And then you have studies of neuroanatomy saying, well, there's perhaps there's more neurons in there than you think, particularly with octopuses.

What we have with a lot of invertebrate animals is quite tantalizing, I think, because often you've got a lot of behavioral evidence showing surprising things, impressive things. And then you have studies of neuroanatomy saying, well, there's perhaps there's more neurons in there than you think, particularly with octopuses.

There's big integrative brain regions that are plausibly performing functions relating to learning and memory. And then those are the two parts of the picture and they don't join up as it were. that what we're lacking in most of these cases is detailed knowledge of the mechanisms in those brain regions producing the behaviors we're seeing.

There's big integrative brain regions that are plausibly performing functions relating to learning and memory. And then those are the two parts of the picture and they don't join up as it were. that what we're lacking in most of these cases is detailed knowledge of the mechanisms in those brain regions producing the behaviors we're seeing.

So people talk about grasping the elephant from different sides. It's two ways of converging on a picture that are both valuable and all the more valuable when pursued together.

So people talk about grasping the elephant from different sides. It's two ways of converging on a picture that are both valuable and all the more valuable when pursued together.

Well, there's a range of different studies, and I don't see any individual study as being conclusive, and it's an area where phrases like conclusive evidence, proof, are not really appropriate. But

Well, there's a range of different studies, and I don't see any individual study as being conclusive, and it's an area where phrases like conclusive evidence, proof, are not really appropriate. But

What we have is research programs, particularly Bob Elwood, who is another of the signatories to our declaration, really started with this question of, well, people think that all that is going on here is reflexes. So they think that the crab skitters away and it's like when I put my hand on a hot stove and my hand withdraws and that reflex withdrawal is underway before I feel anything.

What we have is research programs, particularly Bob Elwood, who is another of the signatories to our declaration, really started with this question of, well, people think that all that is going on here is reflexes. So they think that the crab skitters away and it's like when I put my hand on a hot stove and my hand withdraws and that reflex withdrawal is underway before I feel anything.

And people say, that's all the crabs have. They just have those reflexes. And he thought about how might I convince someone who has that view that that is not all that's going on.

And people say, that's all the crabs have. They just have those reflexes. And he thought about how might I convince someone who has that view that that is not all that's going on.

And that just like in us, the information about the noxious stimulus, like the hot stove, reaches the brain and is integrated with other kinds of information and is used for lots of functions relating to learning, memory, decision-making. And he came up with these motivational trade-off experiments where what he had was hermit crabs.

And that just like in us, the information about the noxious stimulus, like the hot stove, reaches the brain and is integrated with other kinds of information and is used for lots of functions relating to learning, memory, decision-making. And he came up with these motivational trade-off experiments where what he had was hermit crabs.