What do you think of this idea?

Question

There is no way to tell whether or not animals are sentient beings...and it is arrogant to assume you can guage this particular facet of beings....really what is the difference between humans and animals? do they have a soul? a conscience?

Answer 1

I would hope someday we could develop tools to identify sentient qualities. I love animals so I absolutely believe they have souls just like us and consciences as long as their survival instincts aren't triggered but that could be said about humans, too.

Answer 2

In my view, animals are more sentient than humans; otherwise they would not be able to survive! And it is not arrogant at all to assume so. Humans may not have found the way of how to assess this particular aspect of being, like so many other things in our living world. For instance, we take energy and gravity for granted and we thing that we know their effects but we are totally ignorant as to why they exist and/or what they really are.
As for having a soul or psyche, it is another great unknown of which we are ignorant of its existence and/or nature. As I see it, it is the human means of hoping uncertainty.
As for conscience, don’t forget that even we humans are incapable of defining the sense of right or wrong!
And that’s how I see it!
NDS

Answer 3

first of all - the soul: if you believe in the Bible, animals do NOT have a soul, this is one of the main differences between them and humans.
secondly, I think animal are sentient beings, and I think people assuming humans are the only beings on this planet able to have feelings is arrogant and stupid - for example: mother-child relationship - usually it is seen like this: humans: feelings, love, ... animals: just hormones making the mother take care of the little one, ... I think this is just so unfair that people disregard animals and think they are not able to have feelings! and whoever has has a pet they've really loved will say the same!

Answer 4

I agree that it is arrogant for a human to assume that she/he can gauge another animal's knowledge of its own being. There's no way to tell. We can't communicate with animals (this doesn't necessarily mean that they cannot communicate amongst themselves) and thus we can't gather any knowledge about the complexity of their understanding. We're in no place - and we don't have the means - to judge sentience in other animals. And by the by - culture (and thus laws, government, etc) was around long before the Bible .....

Answer 5

Animals are only less complex then humans. They live lives. Maybe they don't have souls or consciences but they are alive and feel. They are simple minded and know exactly what it is they are supposed to do and they do it.

Answer 6

To answer the actual question: its a waste of time.

But, as it happens, I have some time to waste.

I believe that you may have confused sentience with inteligence.
Sentience is defined as being self aware.

Any one who has spent any real time with a dog, cat horse or any
other animal will be happy to tell you that animals are selfaware.

Times up.

Answer 7

In describing the time of creation, the terms "living creature" for animals and "living soul" for humans are English translations of the very same original Hebrew words, kaw-ee, meaning alive (translated as "living" in "living creature" for animals and "living soul" for humans), and neh-fesh, meaning a breathing creature (alternately translated as "creature" and "soul" in "living creature" for animals and "living soul" for humans).

"And God said, Let the earth bring forth the living creature after his kind, cattle, and creeping thing, and beast of the earth after his kind: and it was so. And God made the beast of the earth after his kind, and cattle after their kind, and every thing that creepeth upon the earth after his kind: and God saw that it was good." (Genesis 1:24-25 KJV)
"And The Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul." (Genesis 2:7 KJV)

By God's own Word, although the human potential (for the repentant ones) is near-infinitely greater, humans are also animals, or beasts:

"I said in mine heart concerning the estate of the sons of men, that God might manifest them, and that they might see that they themselves are beasts."
"For that which befalleth the sons of men befalleth beasts; even one thing befalleth them: as the one dieth, so dieth the other; yea, they have all one breath; so that a man hath no preeminence above a beast: for all is vanity. All go unto one place; all are of the dust, and all turn to dust again." (Ecclesiastes 3:18-20 KJV)

The actual Bible word translated as "spirit" in the "spirit of man" and the "spirit of the beast" in the verses below is the Hebrew word (pronounced) roo-ackh which simply means breath, or to exhale. The "last breath" is what is being described as "spirit" in these verses; the original word does not have any literal or figurative meaning of "spirit" in a "spiritual" way:

"All go unto one place; all are of the dust, and all turn to dust again. Who knoweth the spirit of man that goeth upward, and the spirit of the beast that goeth downward to the earth?" (Ecclesiastes 3:20-21 KJV)

Answer 8

Seriously, look into the eyes of a sweet little o' dog, or a horse, and there is where the answer lies.

Answer 9

Matters not to me whether they have a "soul" or not. My Schnauzer is my buddy, and I'm his. That's all that matters to either of us.

Arf.

Answer 10

IT MY SURPRISE YOU BUT THE SAME PROBLEM MANIFESTS IN THE LOSE OF VITAL INFORMATION THAT IS INVALUABLE TO OUR OWN SURVIVAL IS MISSING DATA TOO