I think it’s worth qualifying these statements with “all else equal”.
But note that all else is not equal. Humans, having greater capacity to reason and make predictions, can probably anticipate pain (and its end) and negative outcomes better. This could cause anticipatory anxiety, but it could also help us avoid pain in the first place, or rationalize our pain. Nonhuman animals have to rely much more directly on their pain signal reinforcement. So is the pain signal more useful to us or to them? I don’t think the answer is clear either way.
Also, don’t forget that we’re attempting interpersonal utility comparisons. If we scaled up the intensity of all experiences without affecting how an animal behaves, we wouldn’t be able to tell the difference.
I think it’s worth qualifying these statements with “all else equal”.
But note that all else is not equal. Humans, having greater capacity to reason and make predictions, can probably anticipate pain (and its end) and negative outcomes better. This could cause anticipatory anxiety, but it could also help us avoid pain in the first place, or rationalize our pain. Nonhuman animals have to rely much more directly on their pain signal reinforcement. So is the pain signal more useful to us or to them? I don’t think the answer is clear either way.
Also, don’t forget that we’re attempting interpersonal utility comparisons. If we scaled up the intensity of all experiences without affecting how an animal behaves, we wouldn’t be able to tell the difference.