05-06-2011, 11:05 AM
sentience isn't connected to whether we have a soul or not.
the rules of sentience go something like;
Sentience is the ability to feel, or perceive, or be conscious, or have subjective experiences. 18th century philosophers used the term to distinguish the ability to think ("reason") from the ability to feel ("sentience"). In modern western philosophy, sentience is the ability to have sensations or experiences with a subjective quality known as "qualia". For Eastern philosophy, sentience is a metaphysical quality of all things that requires respect and care. The term is central to the philosophy of animal rights, because sentience implies the ability to suffer, which entails certain rights. (sourced from wiki)
sapience is also used to describe our ability to feel and interact independently with the world in a subjective way.
a soul is a different matter, it's more of a spiritual essence, some carpenter can (allegedly) see the soul in a piece of wood.
some sculptors see it in a piece of marble and the same is said for diamond cutters.
also the soul is viewed in many ways depending on which religion you follow. mainly it's seen as the spiritual essence of a person.
do dogs and cats have souls, they are certainly sentient beings? so are slugs etc. i'm pretty sure they can build a robot that's as sentient as a slug
the rules of sentience go something like;
Sentience is the ability to feel, or perceive, or be conscious, or have subjective experiences. 18th century philosophers used the term to distinguish the ability to think ("reason") from the ability to feel ("sentience"). In modern western philosophy, sentience is the ability to have sensations or experiences with a subjective quality known as "qualia". For Eastern philosophy, sentience is a metaphysical quality of all things that requires respect and care. The term is central to the philosophy of animal rights, because sentience implies the ability to suffer, which entails certain rights. (sourced from wiki)
sapience is also used to describe our ability to feel and interact independently with the world in a subjective way.
a soul is a different matter, it's more of a spiritual essence, some carpenter can (allegedly) see the soul in a piece of wood.
some sculptors see it in a piece of marble and the same is said for diamond cutters.
also the soul is viewed in many ways depending on which religion you follow. mainly it's seen as the spiritual essence of a person.
do dogs and cats have souls, they are certainly sentient beings? so are slugs etc. i'm pretty sure they can build a robot that's as sentient as a slug