logo
episode-header-image
Oct 2024
28m 3s

Jonathan Birch on the Edge of Sentience

EDMONDS AND WARBURTON
About this episode

Recent zoological research has shown us that a wide range of animals are likely to have sentience. We don't know for sure. There is sufficient evidence to think that it is likely that, for example, lobsters can feel pain. What should we do in the light of this? Jonathan Birch of the LSE,  author of The Edge of Sentience, discusses this important question with Nigel Warburton. 

Up next
Jun 5
Rebecca Newberger Goldstein on Mattering
We are the kind of creature that cares whether or not we matter and how. What follows from this? Rebecca Newberger Goldstein, author of Mattering, discuses this with David Edmonds. 
22m 17s
May 18
Monima Chadha on Responsibility Without Selves
Buddhist philosophy rejects the idea of the self. How then can there be any moral responsibility? Monima Chadha, Professor of Indian Philosophy at Oxford University, explains. This episode was supported by the Ideas Workshop, part of the Open Society Foundations 
17m 44s
May 11
Carissa Veliz on Prophecy
Predictions aren't quite what they seem to be, according to Carissa Véliz, author of the book Prophecy. They often are intended to persuade you of the inevitability of a certain outcome, and may be self-fulfilling to some degree. Yet they look like simple factual claims about wha ... Show More
17m 12s
Recommended Episodes
Jan 2023
What do you think you are?: Part one
There is growing scientific evidence that many animals are not only conscious, but possess a more profound sense of self. They can learn by experience and make decisions that depend on a sense of the future - in other words, they are “sentient” beings with the capacity to feel pa ... Show More
26m 49s
Jan 2023
What do you think you are? Part two
There’s growing scientific evidence that many animals are not only conscious but they possess a more profound sense of self. They can learn by experience and make decisions that depend on a sense of the future - in other words they are “sentient” beings with the capacity to feel ... Show More
29m 16s
Mar 2025
Who Counts? Ethics in the Treatment of Animals and AI
Michael Shermer and Jeff Sebo explore moral philosophy, focusing on animal rights, sentience, and consciousness. They discuss the definitions of morality, ethical pluralism, and the divide between consequentialism and deontology. The conversation examines who belongs in our moral ... Show More
1h 27m
Nov 2021
Animal Minds
<p>In this hour of Radiolab, stories of cross-species communication.</p> <p>When we gaze into the eyes of a wild animal, or even a beloved pet, can we ever really know what they might be thinking? Is it naive to assume they're experiencing something close to human emotions? Or is ... Show More
59m 9s
Oct 2024
Insects and Other Animals Have Consciousness, Experts Declare
<div class="post__title__excerpt wysiwyg p italic mb1 mt025 pr2 o4 theme__text ">A group of prominent biologists and philosophers announced a new consensus: There’s “a realistic possibility” that insects, octopuses, crustaceans, fish and other overlooked animals experience consci ... Show More
18m 9s
Jul 2023
Animals On Trial, Part 2: Legal Personhood "Goes Wild"
Given that more and more evidence shows all kinds of non-human animals are capable of experiencing grief, loss, joy and pain, should they not have some of the same legal rights guaranteed (in theory, at least) to humans? In the second part of this two-part series, Ben, Noel and M ... Show More
41m 55s
Jun 2020
Do animals have consciousness?
<p>What exactly it means to be conscious has long been a question of profound debate amongst philosophers, and more recently, scientists. There are no easy answers, and it gets even trickier when you start asking whether animals are conscious: how can you find out about their sub ... Show More
36m 43s
Aug 2024
Listener Mail: The Most Dangerous Animal, Secret ESP Countermeasures, Spies and Psychics
Arborious prompts a conversation about ESP and the nature of intuition. Joe calls in to ask whether state-level actors have countermeasures against psychic abilities -- which will be a future episode. Ben brings one of his current obsessions to the air: What is the most dangerous ... Show More
49m 12s