Why Not?

What are the best arguments against Sentientism?

Sentientism is a simple worldview that commits to evidence and reason and grants moral consideration to all sentient beings. It rejects supernatural beliefs and ethics and suggests we should show compassion based on the sentience of a being, not on its species or some other characteristic or relationship. Sentience is primarily the capacity to have experiences, the ability to suffer or flourish.

There are many arguments against sentientism. I plan to extend this page to set out a steelman (best version) for each, along with a response. There’s also a Sentientism thesis on Kialo that you’re welcome to help build or challenge.

In the meantime, here’s a radically over-simplified slide from a recent seminar I gave on sentientism at the University of Winchester.