This is an open access title available under the terms of a CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 International licence. It is free to read on the Oxford Academic platform and offered as a free PDF download from OUP and selected open access locations.
Can octopuses feel pain and pleasure? What about crabs, shrimps, insects or spiders? How do we tell whether a person unresponsive after severe brain injury might be suffering? When does a fetus in the womb start to have conscious experiences? Could there even be rudimentary feelings in miniature models of the human brain, grown from human stem cells? And what about AI?
These are questions about the edge of sentience, and they are subject to enormous, disorienting uncertainty. We desperately want certainty, but it is out of reach. The stakes are immense, and neglecting the risks can have terrible costs. We need to err on the side of caution, yet it's often far from clear what 'erring on the side of caution' should mean in practice. When are we going too far? When are we not doing enough?
The Edge of Sentience presents a comprehensive precautionary framework designed to help us reach ethically sound, evidence-based decisions despite our uncertainty. The book is packed with specific, detailed proposals intended to generate discussion and debate. At no point, however, does it offer any magic tricks to make our uncertainty go away. Uncertainty is with us for the long term. We must manage our uncertainty by taking precautions that are proportionate to the risks. It's time to start debating what those steps should be.
Publisher: Oxford University Press
ISBN: 9780192870421
Number of pages: 400
Weight: 802 g
Dimensions: 240 x 160 x 24 mm
Scientific, political and ethical questions about sentience are complex and often mired in deep-seated uncertainty. Which animals possess consciousness? Can sentience develop in neural organoids? Does cognitive-motor disruption render someone no longer sentient? In The Edge of Sentience, philosopher Jonathan Birch delivers a nuanced analysis of these and other major quandaries--plus a set of proposals to guide neuroscientists and policymakers toward fact-based, ethically sound answers. - The Transmitter
Edge of Sentience is a masterclass in public-facing philosophy. At each step, Birch is lucid and perfectly calibrated in the strength of his assertions. His analysis is thoughtful and circumspect, and always poised for revision. He elevates his readers. His sourcing is generous and wide-ranging. The book also takes pains to set itself up as a manual for policy, with each chapter providing a summary. Birch works hard and, in my opinion, succeeds in writing a highly topical book of deep philosophy. Any thinking person can profit from it, provided that they have a stomach for uncertainty. - Nature
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