Description
Sentience – the ability to feel, perceive and experience – is central to the animal welfare debate as it raises the question of whether animals experience suffering in life and death. This book explores and answers these questions in an objective way, based on the latest research and empirical evidence. Beginning with an introduction to sentience, the book investigates why we are so interested in sentience, when, as a species, humans became sentient and how it has changed over time. The book defines aspects of sentience such as consciousness, memory and emotions, and discusses brain complexity in detail. Looking at sentience from a developmental perspective, it analyses when in an individual’s growth sentience can be said to appear and uses evidence from a range of studies investigating embryos, foetuses and young animals to form an enlightening overview of the subject. With a full chapter covering ethical decisions such as animal protection and experimentation, this book is not only an invaluable resource for researchers and students of animal welfare and biology, but also an engaging and informative read for veterinarians and the general public.
Chapter
1 The Qualities That Make Up Sentience
1.1 Why Are We Interested in Sentience?
1.2 How Do People View Species Perceived to be Like Us or Unlike Us?
1.3 The Concept of Sentience
1.4 Definitions and Descriptions of Components of Sentience
2 Ethics, Morality and Attitudes
2.2 Morality, Selfishness and Altruism
2.6 Brief History of Attitudes to Animals
3 Animal Welfare Science: History and Concepts
3.1 The History of Animal Welfare Science
3.1.2 The 1960s and 1970s
3.2 The Origins of the Animal Welfare Concept
3.3 Welfare in Relation to Other Concepts
3.3.1 Adaptation and welfare
3.3.2 Stress in relation to welfare
3.3.4 Health in relation to welfare
3.3.5 Naturalness and welfare
3.3.6 Welfare and well-being
3.3.7 Quality of life in relation to welfare
3.3.8 Welfare and ‘a life worth living’
3.4 Welfare in Relation to Sentience
4 Brain Complexity and Cognitive Ability
4.1 Brain Function and Brain Size
4.2 Biology, Brain Function, Brain Structure and Cognitive Ability
4.4 Discrimination and Recognition
4.6 Range of Cognitive Abilities
4.10 Variability Among Individuals and Within Populations
4.11 Capabilities for Morality
4.12 The Dangers of Occam’s Razor
5.1 Affect, Feelings and Emotions
5.2 Physiological Systems of Emotions and Feelings
5.4 Cognition in Relation to Emotion
5.10 Guilt, Anger and Rage
5.11 Welfare in Relation to Feelings
6 Awareness and Consciousness
6.1 The Meaning of Awareness
6.2 Reporting Perception and Blind-sight
6.4 Assessing Own Actions and the Actions of Others
6.5 Concepts of the Future
6.7 Awareness of Others Having Concepts
6.8 Evolution of Awareness
7.4 Welfare in Relation to Needs
7.5 Assessing What is Important to Animals
8.1 Positive and Negative Welfare, Short-term and Long-term Assessment
8.2 Behavioural, Physiological and Clinical Indicators of Poor Welfare
8.2.1 Physiological measures
8.2.2 Behavioural measures
8.2.3 Disease, injury, movement and growth measures
8.4 Indicators of Good Welfare Including Pleasure, Happiness, Good Health
8.4.1 Reporting on happiness, or direct measurement?
8.4.2 Using information about preferences
8.4.3 Play and normal behaviour
8.4.4 Direct measures of good welfare
8.5 Integration of Welfare Measures
8.6 Risk and Benefit Analysis in Animal Welfare
8.7 Welfare Reports and Welfare Outcome Indicators for Use in Inspection
9 Sentience During Development, Brain Damage and Old Age
9.1 Introduction: Pre- and Post-sentience
9.2 Sentience in Embryos and Fetuses
9.2.1 Some developmental differences
9.2.2 Neural and pain system development
9.2.3 Awareness in the fetus
9.3 Sentience in Young Individuals
9.4 Sentience in Brain-damaged and Old Individuals
9.5 Welfare During Development, After Brain Damage and During Old Age
10 Ethical Decisions About Humans and Non-humans
10.1 Ethical Decisions when Sentience has been Evaluated
10.2 Summary of Which Animals are Sentient and When
10.4 Conclusions About Sentience Research and Which Animals to Protect
10.5 Protection of the Unborn Child and Other Young
10.6 Protection of Brain-damaged and Senile Persons and Other Animals
11 Sustainability, Welfare Attitudes and Education
11.2 Changing Ideas About Product Quality
11.3 Attitudes to Animal Welfare and Consumer Pressure
11.4 Welfare of Wild Animals, Including Pests
11.5 GM Animals: Welfare and Public Attitudes
11.7 Welfare and Codes of Practice
11.8 Education: Animal Abilities and Welfare
11.8.1 Teaching animal welfare: non-university courses
11.8.2 Teaching animal welfare: university courses
Sentience and Animal Welfare
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