Executive summary: Evidence strongly suggests that all species of debated consciousness (including fish, crustaceans, and insects) are likely conscious and capable of experiencing intense suffering, based on behavioral, evolutionary, and neurological evidence.
Key points:
Five key arguments support widespread consciousness: evolutionary benefit, behavioral evidence, probabilistic reasoning, theoretical coherence (under both dualism and physicalism), and historical trend of underestimating animal consciousness.
Evidence across species shows consistent markers of consciousness: response to painkillers, wound-tending, pain-reward tradeoffs, physiological pain responses, learned avoidance, anxiety symptoms, individual personalities, and information integration.
Simple creatures may experience more intense pain than complex ones, as they need stronger signals to learn and their entire consciousness may be occupied by pain when experiencing it.
Research consistently finds evidence supporting consciousness in disputed species, while evidence against consciousness is largely absent or based on outdated assumptions.
Practical implication: We should take insect and crustacean suffering seriously and support organizations working to reduce their suffering.
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Executive summary: Evidence strongly suggests that all species of debated consciousness (including fish, crustaceans, and insects) are likely conscious and capable of experiencing intense suffering, based on behavioral, evolutionary, and neurological evidence.
Key points:
Five key arguments support widespread consciousness: evolutionary benefit, behavioral evidence, probabilistic reasoning, theoretical coherence (under both dualism and physicalism), and historical trend of underestimating animal consciousness.
Evidence across species shows consistent markers of consciousness: response to painkillers, wound-tending, pain-reward tradeoffs, physiological pain responses, learned avoidance, anxiety symptoms, individual personalities, and information integration.
Simple creatures may experience more intense pain than complex ones, as they need stronger signals to learn and their entire consciousness may be occupied by pain when experiencing it.
Research consistently finds evidence supporting consciousness in disputed species, while evidence against consciousness is largely absent or based on outdated assumptions.
Practical implication: We should take insect and crustacean suffering seriously and support organizations working to reduce their suffering.
This comment was auto-generated by the EA Forum Team. Feel free to point out issues with this summary by replying to the comment, and contact us if you have feedback.