Sentientism

Adrian is a multi-award winning fantasy and science fiction author. He is known best for his series Shadows of the Apt and for his novel Children of Time. Children of Time was awarded the 30th Arthur C. Clarke Award in 2016. In Sentientist Conversations we talk about the two most important questions: “what’s real?” & “what matters?” Sentientism is "evidence, reason & compassion for all sentient beings." The video of our conversation is here on YouTube. We discuss: 00:00 Preview! 00:55 Welcome 02:15 Adrian's Intro - "I write books about giant spiders from outer space" 03:45 What's Real? - "I'm very much on the science end" - "We weren't a religious household" - US/UK religiosity - "A fascination with the natural world" - Dabbling w/#spirituality  "It's amazing how many people have been King Arthur" - "I believed in every damn thing... desperate to find the 'other'" - "The people who want to believe don't examine it" - "Still... looking for that strange but within a scientific boundary" - #aliens  - #evolution  - "I am pretty much entirely naturalistic" - #briancox  - #homeopathy & "special cases" - #scientificmethod  - Tech & magic. Apt & Inapt - #telepathy , #psychics, #ghosts "people are out there trying to fake it is... tangential evidence that it is not real" - "I'm not saying 'this cannot be' but I am saying 'show it to me'" - "There is no supernatural" - Do extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence? - #cryptids  - "I don't want to be fooled by some... snake-oil salesman" - "There's a weird sort of science cosplay going on" - Folklore, fiction, speculation, narrative "this is a long way from saying 'this is the case' 29:15 What Matters? - "Try to do no harm & don't be a dick" - The Golden Rule & improvements - Autism, pronouns... considering others - Freedom & constraints on freedom - "Being considerate & egalitarian... if you have the luck & the resources to be able to" - "I get my morality from other people" - "I could so easily have fallen in with a very different group of people" - Divine command theory, relativism, nihilism, egoism - "Science can be mis-used... race theory for example" - "Religion defaults to a faith-based argument that effectively is not an argument" - "I accept the theory of relativity but I don't understand it" - Studying animal behaviour: Skinnerian behaviourism: "Animals... can't really feel pain" - Animal intelligence. Spiders dreaming - Phil of mind: #Illusionism, eliminativism, #panpsychism - Origins of sentience "those are the things that make life do what it does" ...and much more. Full show notes at Sentientism.info. Sentientism is “Evidence, reason & compassion for all sentient beings.” More at Sentientism.info. Join our "I'm a Sentientist" wall via this simple form. Everyone, Sentientist or not, is welcome in our groups. The biggest so far is here on FaceBook. Come join us there! Thanks Graham.

Emerson is the host of the Counter Apologetics & Walden Pod podcasts, focusing mostly on religion, atheism and consciousness. Both are also available on his Emerson Green YouTube channel. You can find all his links here. In Sentientist Conversations we talk about the two most important questions: “what’s real?” & “what matters?” Sentientism is "evidence, reason & compassion for all sentient beings." The video of our conversation is here on YouTube. We discuss: 00:00 Welcome 01:32 Emerson's Intro - Podcasting as a relationship saver :) - Counter Apologetics (#religion & #atheism) - Walden Pod (#consciousness & #panpsychism ) - "Religion is at the intersection of practically everything I care about" 05:01 What's Real? - Raised as a #youngearth #creationist Christian, sheltered from science & philosophy - Now atheist, "maybe beginning to lean #agnostic " - Attending #apologetics Camp "this is the defence! I don't believe in god" -  @Answers in Genesis  "they do try to give scientific & philosophical arguments" - "Young Earth Creationism is one of the wrongest things you could propose" - "A book from god seems like a pretty solid epistemic source" - "The universe... is really not 6000 years old" - Mum is a professor at an Xtian university - "It's wrong to say they're #anti-science exactly" - "I learned about evolution later & was blown away" - "I was blown away by how bad the Bible was... morally" - The failure of prayer - #mormonism & the "Under The Banner of Prayer" film. The risks of thinking god is speaking to you - "The mainstream Xtian narrative... is just basically incoherent" - Hell & the #problemofevil vs. a just, good, god. #Theodicy - Historical contingency, religious diversity - "If they were born in India they'd probably be Hindus" - "I was very angry for a while... felt like I'd been lied to" - The psychological shock of deconverting - "If I could choose to be believe I would... just for the sake of my mum" - The distress of family & friends - Hidden atheism within religious communities & even pastors - Shunning e.g. "gay homeless teenagers around Salt Lake City" - Natural #theology  - #Fideism & faith vs. "everyone I know has reasons" - Philip Goff & secular religion -  @Bart D. Ehrman   - Naturalism & the natural world as "common ground" - Usage vs. definitions - Conservative/scientific & moderate/abstract & liberal naturalisms vs. supernaturalism - "Sometimes I self-deprecatingy call myself a 'spooky naturalist'" - "Here's what we know from science - is that all there is?" -  @Sean Carroll   ...and much more. Full show notes at Sentientism.info. Sentientism is “Evidence, reason & compassion for all sentient beings.” More at Sentientism.info. Join our "I'm a Sentientist" wall via this simple form. Everyone, Sentientist or not, is welcome in our groups. The biggest so far is here on FaceBook. Come join us there! Thanks Graham.

Pearl describes herself as “poly-vocational”. She is a foreign relations & management consultant with an MA in International Relations & an MBA in International Business. She is a vegan whole foods advocate via her “Le Twisted Spoon” club. Pearl is also a community organiser, public speaker & sometimes a political candidate! In Sentientist Conversations we talk about the two most important questions: “what’s real?” & “what matters?” Sentientism is "evidence, reason & compassion for all sentient beings." The video of our conversation is here on YouTube. We discuss: 00:00 Welcome 01:17 Pearl's Intro - Foreign relations consulting & #vegan activism 02:55 What's Real? - Growing up in #kansas USA - A traditional African-American household - "There's a connection between people clinging to religion & #poverty" - "This disparity between what was taught on Sunday and what people practiced throughout the week" - "Unsavoury" behaviour by church leaders - Poverty, moving frequently, homeless shelters - Church charity (food, paying bills) - "As an adult I feel much more #spiritual & less religious" - "If it didn't make sense to me I had a problem with it"... Santa Claus etc. - Open-minded mum - Church corruption & money "You have to pay to pray" - Disparities in the #bible  - Churches teaching Jesus but not following his example - "Everything was taken away from the people who came over [slavery] and it was replaced with this [Christianity]" - "I still believe there's something higher than myself" - Christianity's role in colonialism - #religion 's allure for those suffering ("your suffering in this life doesn't matter because *heaven*!"). "A lot of really bad things have been allowed to happen because of that principle..." - Compassion vs. status, in-out groups, hierarchy - Three experiences "I have zero explanation for that" - "Is there someone bigger than myself that clearly loves me - I know that for sure" - The problems of suffering & unanswered prayers "It doesn't add up rationally" - "The kind of god I want to worship & love wouldn't behave in that way" - Jesus' teachings vs. Jesus as a god - Husband became #christian by listening to Christian radio in Paris - Church food banks & real help - "I don't think that maybe 'Christian' is the right term to describe myself these days" - Even #jesus threatened non-believers with hell - Child abuse in religious groups. Risks of authority/power/groupishness 46:03 What and Who Matters? - Growing up - "family matters" - "If you have something you should share it" - "Unless you piss me off" :) - US Marine Corps scholarship & a sense of nationality - Justice & equality ...and much more. Full show notes at Sentientism.info. Sentientism is “Evidence, reason & compassion for all sentient beings.” More at Sentientism.info. Join our "I'm a Sentientist" wall via this simple form. Everyone, Sentientist or not, is welcome in our groups. The biggest so far is here on FaceBook. Come join us there! Thanks Graham.

Ingrid is an animal activist and the president of People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), the world’s largest animal rights organization. She is the author of several books, including "The PETA Practical Guide to Animal Rights", "Animalkind" and the 30th anniversary new edition of "Freeing The Animals". Ingrid has worked for the animal-protection movement since 1972. She has been given the following awards: Washingtonian of the Year, 1980; Courage of Conscience Award, 1995; Shining World Compassion Award, 2007; Ahimsa Award, 2014 and the Peter Singer Prize for Strategies to Reduce the Suffering of Animals, 2016. In Sentientist Conversations we talk about the two most important questions: “what’s real?” & “what matters?” Sentientism is "evidence, reason & compassion for all sentient beings." The video of our conversation is here on YouTube. We discuss: 00:00 Welcome 01:24 Ingrid's Intro - Building PETA, the world's largest animal advocacy organisation - Writing 14 books including "Free The Animals" about the Animal Liberation Front 03:39 What's Real? - "We are all creatures of our upbringing" - A strict, "victorian" father & a very kind mother - "I was shipped out to boarding school & raised by some disciplinarian nuns" - Nuns took out their bitterness on the "little rich girls" in their care - Rejecting the nuns' oppression helped motivate Ingrid to be rebellious, to fight for the powerless & seek justice - Earliest memory: Family dog "was like my brother" - Church on Sunday, but "it never really stuck with me" - Being lured into religiosity, but "it was a passing phase" - "I rejected what the nuns said because they were so ghastly" - Roman Catholicism. Praying at 6am every morning, "a lot of silence" - "We didn't respect the nuns... they were barbaric... even of the little kids... 5 & 6 year olds who would cry themselves to sleep" - A visiting Jesuit priest got one of the school-girls pregnant - "For a while I would cross the road if I saw a nun coming the other direction" - Later re-engaging with Christianity (bible, church)... "ultimately I completely rejected it... it made no sense at all... if there is a god it's... a cruel god or a powerless god" - Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster - "I'm not afraid to say I'm an atheist" - "Ricky Gervais & Bill Maher... are not kowtowing... are not intimidated" - The imperative to speak out (where others can't) - Being told to accept "mystery" on face value, "absurd" stories & blind faith - Lisa Kemmerer's views on religious compassion for non-human animals  ...and much more. Full show notes at Sentientism.info. Sentientism is “Evidence, reason & compassion for all sentient beings.” More at Sentientism.info. Join our "I'm a Sentientist" wall via this simple form. Everyone, Sentientist or not, is welcome in our groups. The biggest so far is here on FaceBook. Come join us there! Thanks Graham.

Jackie is a former dairy & beef farmer turned full-time animal rights advocate. She is head of communications and a founding board member for the global non-profit, Vegan FTA (For The Animals). She also co-hosts their podcast and live shows. Jackie is also an author and public speaker. In Sentientist Conversations we talk about the two most important questions: “what’s real?” & “what matters?” Sentientism is "evidence, reason & compassion for all sentient beings." The video of our conversation is here on YouTube. We discuss: 00:00 Welcome - Jordi Casamitjana (https://youtu.be/vtCwoq1XnUg) as a "vegan godfather" :) 02:28 Jackie's Intro - From beef & dairy farming to animal advocacy & veganism - Erin Wing (https://youtu.be/NAh1kLrp99Y) 04:20 What's Real? - Growing up in a UK village in the 1970's - Naturalist Gilbert White "England's first ecologist?" https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gilbert_White - Christian community & school "If you're good to go to heaven & if you're bad Satan's going to get you"... "Nobody ever questioned it" - Fitting in & FOMO "everybody went to church on Sunday" - Joining the church choir, but not being religious - Losing son Luke at 2 days old - "If god loves us all... how come there are all these bad things happening?" - "Any shred of belief I ever had... just went straight out the window" - Spirituality? Unexplained things... a clock starting without batteries... "things happening for a reason?" - "Maybe there's something greater out there... not god" - Exploring Buddhism after going vegan "All you have to do is just be kind" - Meditation & Yoga - "There is such synergy between veganism & Buddhism" 30:38 What Matters? - Good: "Not being mean... not killing" vs. god compliance - "I don't think there is a hell..." except for what we do to non-human animals - Sons coming home from Xtian school saying "god's going to strike me down!" - Being most authentic & open at times when "I had nothing" - Buddhism "has taught me not to judge other people... I get a lot of peace from it... being kind." - "Being compassionate towards yourself is the hardest thing to do" - Dairy farming: "What they are doing is evil... but you can't write them off as being inherently evil" - "Everyone's got a reason for being the way that they are" 41:50 Who Matters? - Killing a spider, terrified, at 8 yrs old, then feeling "mortified that I had ended that life... that's never left me" - Husband Gareth carries a card to rescue bees with - Reading an IWAF leaflet about seal culling - Going vegetarian in 1987 after a Viva campaign on factory farming - "I couldn't believe that humans could be so cruel" - Father going shooting, being attacked by animal activists ...and much more. Full show notes at Sentientism.info. Sentientism is “Evidence, reason & compassion for all sentient beings.” More at Sentientism.info. Join our "I'm a Sentientist" wall via this simple form. Everyone, Sentientist or not, is welcome in our groups. The biggest so far is here on FaceBook. Come join us there! Thanks Graham.

Lisa is an activist and academic who specialises in anymal and environmental ethics. She was an associate professor of philosophy and religion at Montana State University Billings until she retired in 2020 to found and lead the educational, vegan umbrella organization, Tapestry. Lisa is the author or editor of ten books including Animals and World Religions. She has also written over 100 articles and book chapters. Lisa coined the term anymal as a “correct” term for non-human animals. In Sentientist Conversations we talk about the two most important questions: “what’s real?” & “what matters?” Sentientism is "evidence, reason & compassion for all sentient beings." The video of our conversation is here on YouTube. We discuss: 00:00 Welcome 01:28 Lisa's Intro 01:58 What's Real? - Linking epistemology & ethics - "My mind sees a continuum" - Being born with "a more eastern way of thinking" - Metaphysical & practical concerns - "I don't tend to use philosophy in an abstract way" - "I have very little faith in human reasoning... we are not rational beings." - Descartes reasoning that anymals aren't sentient - "We cannot trust our reason... that doesn't mean reason's out... we need to do it with humility" - "It's the extent of our power that makes our arrogance dangerous" - "Roe vs Wade was just overturned... don't tell me humans are rational." - "Trump's reality... I don't want to know about that" - The USA: "Democracy requires education & we're not an educated public" - "Our reason is flawed... we need to use it... we have to be sceptical" 11:53 What Matters? - "Cultures & people - that's where you have to work" - "To try to bring change I need to work with humans where they're at" - "I can see the beauty in it... and I can see the problems in it" - "Cruelty is not a good thing... compassion is a good thing... fairly universal" - "I love religions... they have a committed strong belief... I can get a hold of it" - "I have never, never talked to a serious Christian, & had them, after a serious conversation, say 'it's OK, what we're doing with anymals'... an atheist? - whole different picture." - Fowler's stages of religion "I was there (stage 6) in my teens" - "These religions are rock solid in teaching the core ethic... of compassion" - Wild animal suffering & hell as challenges to a benevolent god - "Western faiths tend to be very rigid..." Eastern faiths are more pluralistic/flexible? - Compassion / empathy as central to Lisa's family's ethics - "When you live in a community you can't tolerate cruelty" ...and much more. Full show notes at Sentientism.info. Sentientism is “Evidence, reason & compassion for all sentient beings.” More at Sentientism.info. Join our "I'm a Sentientist" wall via this simple form. Everyone, Sentientist or not, is welcome in our groups. The biggest so far is here on FaceBook. Come join us there! Thanks Graham.

Philip is a writer from Aotearoa New Zealand, of Pākehā (NZ European) & Māori (Ngāi Tahu) descent. He is a PhD candidate at the Uni of Sydney, affiliated with the Sydney Environment Institute. He holds a Master of Arts in Philosophy from The Uni of Auckland & diplomas in te reo Māori (the Māori language) from Te Wānanga o Aotearoa. Philip has written for publications such as the Guardian, Newsroom, & Takahē. His book, Love Notes: for a Politics of Love, is published by Lantern Books. In 2018, he co-organised 'The Politics of Love: A Conference' at All Souls College, Oxford. Philip was also kaiwhakatipu (editor) of He Ika Haehae Kupenga. In Sentientist Conversations we talk about the two most important questions: “what’s real?” & “what matters?” Sentientism is "evidence, reason & compassion for all sentient beings." The video of our conversation is here on YouTube. We discuss: 00:00 Welcome 01:54 Philip's Intro - Writing on animals, Maori issues & "The Politics of Love" 03:10 What's Real? - Neither parent very religious so grew up agnostic? - Anglican Christian high school - Sermons talked more about love than god - Confirmed at 14 yrs... "ridiculous... what do 14 yr olds know?" - "A lot of the metaphysical background was smuggled in" - Anglicanism to comparative religion to philosophy - Turning from metaphysical to normative/ethics/politics -  "The final nature of reality is unknowable to us & we just have to proceed on our senses" - Albert Camus - The risk of being distracted by esoteric philosophical questions... instead "We need to be engaged in work that tried to bring about a better world in the light of obvious suffering" - "I do believe there is something transcendent that is true... spiritual... love" - "Communing with the spiritual... but through a critical filter" - "Prophets of love... Martin Luther King Jr & Te Whiti O Rongomai" - God, purpose, meaning, spirit, love... "Our attempts to name it... project our own interpretations on to it... prevent us from fully understanding..." - Ethical risks from religious or spiritual epistemologies (unchallengeable, unknowable, incommunicable, obedience, higher purposes, constrained/conditional compassion) - Old, new testaments, "what would the next step be?... Something like love?... a more mature ethical outlook." - Is something missing from a purely naturalistic ethics? "Not necessarily... we should & can find reasons for acting in a loving way independently from this spirituality I have described." 26:30 What Matters? - "I understand ethics in relation to love & relationship" - Constructing & affirming the morality we want to see in the world - "We are living in an absurd world... we need to determine & assert our own values... try to act lovingly" ...and much more. Full show notes at Sentientism.info. Sentientism is “Evidence, reason & compassion for all sentient beings.” More at Sentientism.info. Join our "I'm a Sentientist" wall via this simple form. Everyone, Sentientist or not, is welcome in our groups. The biggest so far is here on FaceBook. Come join us there! Thanks Graham.

Ana Bradley is Executive Director of Sentient Media. Sentient Media is a non-profit journalism outlet aimed at making transparent the suffering that goes on in our food systems and inspiring readers to think more about the implications of what we eat. Ana also hosts the Sentient Media podcast. In Sentientist Conversations we talk about the two most important questions: “what’s real?” & “what matters?” Sentientism is "evidence, reason & compassion for all sentient beings." The video of our conversation is here on YouTube. We discuss: 00:00 Welcome 01:38 Ana's Intro - Animals in the media (largely ignoring their perspectives) 06:17 What's Real? - "I never had a conversation with my parents about god" - Church of England school but "I never believed in... a man sitting in the clouds" - Linking Christian & pagan festivals - Celebrating equinox & solstice. Sunrise to sunset walks with dad - Wikka, paganism, nature - "Beliefs of respecting nature & respecting animals" - Not practicing any religion but rituals of respecting the solstice & natural transitions - Building an elements altar as a child - "I don't believe in magic... but I do believe that nature & animals have incredible power & roles to play in the existence of our planet... it's weighted in science & reason & logic" - David Attenborough's "Life of Plants" 15:15 What Matters? - Looking to nature & our relationship with the planet - The power and aura of natural cycles - "The circle of life" (sorry for my singing) argument for animal product consumption - The naturalistic fallacy - JW: "Nature is awesome but it is not ethically good or bad" - Wild animal suffering 22:07 Who Matters? - At 6yrs old seeing a picture of a kitten being vivisected - Family dog & fishes - "I have this instinct to go to the underdog... the group or the being that is least respected or protected" - Learning about exploitation of non-human & human animals around the world - Children's natural empathy for non-humans... "we kind of beat it out of them" - Making the connection between animals on the plate and animals suffering at 6 yrs old - Asking about animal derived food "my parents told me the truth"... I said: "I don't want to eat animals" - Supportive parents re: going vegetarian then vegan - Social, psychological, practical, information impediments to veganism - "One piece of the puzzle is knowing how to eat" - "It took me a few years to realise what the dairy industry is" - At 10yrs seeing a Viva poster of a dairy cow ...and much more. Full show notes at Sentientism.info. Sentientism is “Evidence, reason & compassion for all sentient beings.” More at Sentientism.info. Join our "I'm a Sentientist" wall via this simple form. Everyone, Sentientist or not, is welcome in our groups. The biggest so far is here on FaceBook. Come join us there! Thanks Graham.

Erin is the Deputy Director of Investigations at Animal Outlook, a national animal-advocacy nonprofit organisation. Erin was an undercover investigator for two years. She left the field after her last investigation at the Dick Van Dam Dairy in California, where she saw cruelty, abuse & suffering every day. Through her new position with Animal Outlook, Erin works closely with investigators, providing support & resources. In Sentientist Conversations we talk about the two most important questions: “what’s real?” & “what matters?” Sentientism is "evidence, reason & compassion for all sentient beings." The video of our conversation is here on YouTube. We discuss: 00:00 Welcome 01:38 Erin's Intro - Undercover farm & fishery investigations & Animal Outlook 02:46 What's Real? - Growing up very religious...  - Church every Sunday, Biblical moral standards - The Golden Rule "Do unto others..." - "There was a point in my life where I started to question... there always seemed to be some exclusions... some conditions" - "'Others' encompassed everyone... human, animals, children, everyone regardless of sexuality, background, identification..." - No longer Christian, now non-religious... "someone who just wants to make the world a better place for everyone in it" - "As I got older I started questioning things more" - Very religious mother "faith based" who still encouraged questions - Religious belief: "That's great for them... as long as no one is being hurt" - Questioning both the facts & ethics of Christianity - "It really came to a head for me... [I] managed to fall into almost every marginalised community" LGBTQ+, race... - "I fell into so many of those categories that potentially might be excluded from salvation" - The supernatural, luck, agnosticism? - "I never rule anything out" humility 18:25 What Matters? - [Golden Rule] "the way I would like the world to function" - "...my own trauma & hardship & suffering" - Compassion for it's own sake or because god commands? 23:30 Who Matters? - "I've always had this connection with animals" - As a child "I did not see a lot of kindness", often conditional compassion - With non-human animals: "There are no conditions to receive affection from them"... "Those were the purest connections I could make" - Making friends with a scary-sounding neighbourhood dog "I just felt a wet nose & breathing" - Saving a stray dog & drowning kittens - Watching an animal farming documentary at ~13-14 yrs old "I immediately felt horrified" - "I could feel that contradiction... why am I eating this?" ...and much more. Full show notes at Sentientism.info. Sentientism is “Evidence, reason & compassion for all sentient beings.” More at Sentientism.info. Join our "I'm a Sentientist" wall via this simple form. Everyone, Sentientist or not, is welcome in our groups. The biggest so far is here on FaceBook. Come join us there! Thanks Graham.

This episode is a recording of my presentation about Sentientism to the Terra.do climate change platform & community. Many thanks to Adam and the team for inviting me. My core presentation runs for about 30 minutes - the rest is an open conversation with the group. Drop me an email at hello at sentientism dot info if you'd like a copy of the slides - or you can see them on the YouTube of my presentation. Terra.do is the world’s first online climate learning platform and community for professionals looking to pivot their career towards climate solutions. Their goal is to get 100 million people, in all sectors of society, working on climate change by 2030. They run cohort-based online programs for talented individuals that teach them everything about climate, plug them into a network of mentors and expose them to full-time/part-time/entrepreneurial work opportunities in the space.) In Sentientist Conversations we talk about the two most important questions: “what’s real?” & “what (and who) matters?” Sentientism answers those questions with a commitment to "evidence, reason & compassion for all sentient beings." Find out more at Sentientism.info. Join our "I'm a Sentientist" wall via this simple form. Everyone, Sentientist or not, is welcome in our groups. The biggest so far is here on FaceBook. Come join us there!