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Comment by andyjohnson0

3 months ago

There should be a name for the tendency to of humans to discount the depth and sophistication of the subjective experience of animals. From insects to primates, it is so prevalent.

3 comments

andyjohnson0

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93po  3 months ago

I highly recommend Robert Fuller on Youtube for anyone who wants to better understand the shared experiences between humans and animals.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9kQb-badp1s

This video made me change my approach to consuming animals - I realized that just because animals are dumber than humans doesn't mean they don't have real, meaningful life experiences. And I'd be a dick to deprive them of those experiences.

There's also some hypocrisy in us wanting hyper intelligent AI to have compassion for humans and the human experience even though we're dumber than it, but us not doing the same for animals.

mikkupikku  3 months ago

I don't think it's an innate tendency, but rather an aspect of some cultures. For instance, I have heard that the people native to orangutan ranges traditionally considered them to be a sort of people, at least in a way, and I've read that when Carthaginian explorers first encountered gorillas they though they were a peculiar tribe of primitive people.