Lewis (1929) and those following him, it refers to the qualities of phenomenal individuals, such as color patches, tastes, and sounds.” Many philosophers throughout the 20th century debated the nature of qualia, arguing about how sense data fit into a materialistic worldview. In the 20th century, the word “qualia” emerged to describe “raw feel” sense data. He argued that phenomenal consciousness required more than associated ideas, but “at a minimum had to be the experience of a conscious self situated in an objective world structured with respect to space, time and causality.” The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy summarizes Kant’s contrasting view. In Of the Reason of Animals, Hume wrote, “…It seems evident, that animals as well as men learn many things from experience, and infer, that the same events will always follow from the same causes.” By identifying a common sense of cause and effect within sentient animals, he suggested that they may possess a higher order of consciousness than mere physical sensation. The Encyclopaedia Britannica explains that the study of sapience and sentience has long fascinated philosophers: “The philosophy of mind is specifically concerned with quite general questions about the nature of mental phenomena: what, for example, is the nature of thought, feeling, perception, consciousness, and sensory experience?” Eighteenth century philosophers like David Hume and Immanuel Kant examined the complicated relationship between consciousness, reason, and sentience. Whale and Dolphin Conservation (WDC) states, “WDC believes that whales and dolphins are both sentient and sapient individuals, and so deserve to have rights recognised and welfare protected.” The organization bases this claim on the mammals’ abilities to develop complex social groups, exhibit complex behaviors such as cooperation and tool use, and form unique cultures. lists the following as synonyms for sapience:Īs animal rights activists are quick to point out, the line between sapience and sentience does not always appear to be a clearcut division. Sapience is defined as “wisdom” or “sagacity.” SynonymsĪccording to, synonyms for sentience include: Sentient means “responsive to or conscious of sense impressions,” “aware,” and “finely sensitive in perception or feeling.”

feeling or sensation as distinguished from perception and thought.

In contrast, “sapience” comes from the Proto-Indo-European root sep-, which means “to taste, perceive.” From this root, the Latin word sapientia developed, meaning “good taste, good sense, discernment intelligence, wisdom.” The word sapience, a noun, passed into Old French before making its way into the English language in the late 1300’s. “Sentience,” a noun, entered the English language in 1817. We possess wisdom and self-awareness beyond animal sentience.Īccording to the Online Etymology Dictionary, the word “sentience” originated with the Latin word sentientem, meaning “feeling.” The English adjective “sentient” dates from the 1630’s. Homo sapiens, also known as humans, are sapient beings. Some people confuse the word sentience with the word sapience, but there’s a simple trick to remember the difference.

In a review of the collection published in The Guardian, reviewer Jiyon writes, “In all the short stories, you will begin to notice that the robots become more advanced and increasingly independent…” This work of fiction provides an example of man-made sapience. The book I, Robot by Isaac Asimov includes a number of short stories about artificial intelligence. For example, the film Planet of the Apes shows a world in which gorillas, orangutans, and chimpanzees are self-aware. Science fiction plots often explore the possibility of sapience in other life forms. Sapience, on the other hand, is marked by a higher level of cognition and intelligence. Many animals can be described as sentient, although it’s hard to know for sure what’s going on inside a fish’s head. A sentient being has consciousness, the capacity for sensation, and a subjective experience. The main difference between sentience and sapience is self-awareness.

Crab sentience