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80,000 Hours Podcast

#182 – Bob Fischer on comparing the welfare of humans, chickens, pigs, octopuses, bees, and more

Mar 8, 2024
In this engaging conversation, Bob Fischer, a senior research manager at Rethink Priorities and director of the Society for the Study of Ethics and Animals, delves into animal welfare nuances. He explores the complex sentience of various beings—from chickens to octopuses—highlighting their emotional capacities and ethical implications. Fischer discusses the challenges of quantifying welfare and consciousness across species and urges a reassessment of how we prioritize suffering, prompting listeners to rethink their values regarding animal rights and welfare.
02:21:31

Episode guests

Podcast summary created with Snipd AI

Quick takeaways

  • Recognizing the individuality and perspective of nonhuman animals challenges our tendency to underestimate their desires and preferences.
  • Poor research focus has led to biased welfare range estimates for understudied organisms like salmon, highlighting a need for more comprehensive studies.

Deep dives

Main Idea 1

Octopuses were found to have a welfare range estimate that is roughly one-fifth as intense as humans, indicating a high level of complexity and intelligence in these creatures. With distributed neural systems and remarkable abilities like coordinated planning and facial recognition, octopuses were perceived as highly intricate beings.

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