Advancing Government Legitimacy through the Scientific Study of Sentience

Animal Minds, Social Change, and the Future of Fisheries Science

“…Empirical research on sentience, combined with a philosophical emphasis on sentience rather than species, leads many people to question the separation of Homo sapiens and other species of sentient animals (Donaldson and Kymlicka, 2011). One solution offered is to adapt society's institutions to recognize and protect the interests 2 of sentient animals, and political theory illustrates how such a change could be made (Stone, 2010;Donaldson and Kymlicka, 2011;Andrews et al, 2018;Vink, 2020;Freeling and Connell, 2021).…”

“…While mainstream discourse centers on more humane methods of catching fish (e.g., Veldhuizen, 2018), the legal protections we envision here are more profound. An emerging body of thought is investigating how sentient organisms can be enfranchised and represented in political institutions and recognized as bearers of legal rights and freedoms-simply put, a generalization of human rights to sentient rights (Donaldson and Kymlicka, 2011;Cochrane, 2018;Vink, 2020;Freeling and Connell, 2021;Paez, 2021). As with the economic sacrifices involved with abolishing slavery (Conrad and Meyer, 1958), the path of granting constitutional protection to fish may necessitate serious sacrifices in wealth, employment, and food security (Browman et al, 2019).…”