Browning, Heather and Veit, Walter (2024) Self-awareness and personhood in non-human animals. In, Keltz, Benjamin K. (ed.) The Palgrave Handbook on the Problem of Animal Suffering in the Philosophy of Religion. Palgrave Macmillan. (In Press)
Abstract
Beyond simple consciousness or sentience, some nonhuman animals may possess more sophisticated cognitive abilities linked to capacities for self-awareness or even personhood; capacities that may influence our attitudes toward the importance of their suffering. In this chapter we first examine the concepts of consciousness, suffering, self-awareness and personhood, before surveying the current evidence for these capacities in different animal species and discussing their relevance to the moral importance of animal suffering. We argue that while self-awareness is not necessary for morally relevant suffering, it may serve to expand the range of ways in which an individual can suffer (including increasing the harm of death), as well as potentially grounding a higher level of moral status.
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