Close

"Freedom, equality & avoiding harm to others" - Psychologist Kristof Dhont - New Sentientist Conversation

Kristof Dhont is a social psychologist & senior lecturer at the university of Kent where he runs SHARKLab (Study of Human InterGroup & Animal Relations​). He is the author of "Why We Love & Exploit Animals".

In these Sentientist Conversations we talk about the two most important questions: “what’s real?” & “what matters?” Sentientism is "evidence, reason & compassion for all sentient beings." The audio is also on our Podcast - subscribe here on Apple or on all the other platforms​​​​.

We discuss:

  • The psychology of human-animal relations
  • Links between sexism, racism & speciesism
  • "Us humans are weird". We're not fully rational decision makers
  • Being sceptical of our own rationality
  • Knowing the right answer isn't the same as persuading others to agree or make changes
  • Growing up in Belgium, a largely Catholic country but with many who are non-practicing
  • Attending church, then becoming "strongly atheist" because of evidence, but also "the nasty stuff" (sexism, homophobia, racism)
  • Being raised with values of compassion & respect. Finding those values in Christianity, other religions and in Humanism
  • Moving to a more nuanced view of the good and bad in religion
  • Traditions & rituals have value for some people. As long as they don't cause harm to people outside or within the group
  • The abuse of power in institutionalised religion
  • Pre-human proto-morality
  • We don't need supernatural beliefs to justify compassionate ethics. We just need them too justify harmful ethics
  • Religious schooling
  • Being angry with the world as a teenager: religion; capitalism; animal products; injustice - then being led to study human behaviour
  • Taking teenage rebellion & applying it to social justice activism in academia
  • Moral intuitions re: "freedom, equality & avoiding harm to others"
  • Freedom & equality shouldn't just be left wing concerns. They're more widely shared
  • Sentience matters re: moral consideration, not intelligence
  • Are freedom and equality fundamental or important because of how they impact suffering/flourishing?
  • Caring about animals. Having companion animals as family members
  • The Meat Paradox
  • Seeing a family member killing chickens & rabbits
  • The hardcore punk music scene & Straight Edge. Bands with a clear, constructive message re: politics & animal ethics & anti-fascism (vs. more pessimistic grunge and 1970's punk)
  • "I can't keep eating meat any more", supported by the positive social pressure of the music scene & friends making the change
  • Parents initially resisting veg*nism, needing to learn DIY (it's easier now!)
  • Learning about dairy/eggs & going vegan at University
  • Wild animal suffering & how to prioritise it vs. animal farming/fishing. The risk of paternalism/hubris
  • Effective Altruism
  • Benevolent & hostile sexism
  • Sentientism's focus on inclusive moral consideration, even if we're unable to intervene or where we're uncertain
  • The challenges of rescue & sanctuary animals & predator companion animals
  • The default human answer of "kill them all" re: issues with wild animals
  • Animals don't care what category we put them in. They suffer just the same
  • Human defined categories are often self-serving. Only about human interests
  • The power imbalance between humans & non-humans re: defining relations
  • Biocentrism, Ecocentrism, Gaia
  • Environments are important because of the individual living sentients they support
  • Environmentalists that still consume animal products
  • Homicide & ecocide, but why not senticide?
  • Using animal ethical approaches for human animals shows the issues starkly
  • Systems and psychologies slow change, yet human values re: animals are changing positively & going vegan is so much easier
  • Defensive strategies: denying animal sentience; hiding/ignoring reality; natural/normal/necessary; identity; masculinity
  • Using research to improve activism (receptiveness to info, constructive engagement, lowering barriers, labelling, policy change, law)
  • Working within capitalism even while wanting a deeper paradigm change
  • How social justice movements connect. But how animals are different (role as products)
  • We haven't even agreed a UDHR concept for animals
  • Lifting the moral status of animals will improve intra-human ethics too (e.g. undermining dehumanisation)
  • Zero sum vs. win-win
  • Animal movements need to include human social justice concerns
  • Having compassion even for humans we disagree with.

Sentientism is “Evidence, reason & compassion for all sentient beings.” More at sentientism.info​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​. Join our "I'm a Sentientist wall"​ using this simple form.

​Everyone interested, Sentientist or not, is welcome to join our groups. Our main one is here on FaceBook.

Thanks, Graham for the post-prod: @cgbessellieu.

Latest work

Head shot of Tom Harris smiling towards the camera.

"Your Neighbour Kills Puppies" - Tom Harris - Activist, Artist & Author - Sentientism Ep:190

Tom is an artist, published author, and social justice activist. He is an expert and consultant on animal liberation history and strategy, and the global animal rights movement. His first book, Your Neighbour Kills Puppies was released in March 2024. A Sentientism conversation.
More

"Your Neighbour Kills Puppies" - Tom Harris - Activist, Artist & Author - Sentientism Ep:190

Tom is an artist, published author, and social justice activist. He is an expert and consultant on animal liberation history and strategy, and the global animal rights movement. His first book, Your Neighbour Kills Puppies was released in March 2024. A Sentientism conversation.
More

Top 10 Conversations - according to the algorithms anyway...

Our Top 10 Sentientist Conversations... according to the algorithms.
More

"A new world of animal justice" - Sabine Brels of World Animal Justice - Sentientism Ep:189

World Animal Justice aims for the global recognition of crimes against animality (or even sentientity). A Sentientist conversation.
More

Join our mailing list and stay up to date

Sentientism

Handcrafted with ♥ by Cage Undefined