Scientists Sign Declaration Proclaiming Fish, Lobsters, Octopi, and Insects Have “Consciousness”

Scientists Sign Declaration Proclaiming Fish, Lobsters, Octopi, and Insects Have “Consciousness”

There has recently been an intriguing development in “the Science™.”

Nearly 40 “experts” recently signed “The New York Declaration on Animal Consciousness,” presented at a conference at New York University last week.

The declaration says there is “strong scientific support” that birds and mammals have conscious experience, and a “realistic possibility” of consciousness for all vertebrates — including reptiles, amphibians and fish. That possibility extends to many creatures without backbones, it adds, such as insects, decapod crustaceans (including crabs and lobsters) and cephalopod mollusks, like squid, octopus and cuttlefish.

“When there is a realistic possibility of conscious experience in an animal, it is irresponsible to ignore that possibility in decisions affecting that animal,” the declaration says. “We should consider welfare risks and use the evidence to inform our responses to these risks.”

Jonathan Birch, a professor of philosophy at the London School of Economics and a principal investigator on the Foundations of Animal Sentience project, is among the declaration’s signatories. Whereas many scientists in the past assumed that questions about animal consciousness were unanswerable, he said, the declaration shows his field is moving in a new direction.

“This has been a very exciting 10 years for the study of animal minds,” Birch said. “People are daring to go there in a way they didn’t before and to entertain the possibility that animals like bees and octopuses and cuttlefish might have some form of conscious experience.”

A review of the signatories on this declaration indicates most of the expertise is in philosophy, psychology, and environmental studies. The group asserts that a wide array of species, including lobsters, fish, octopi, and insects, can experience elements of consciousness and sentience.

First, there is strong scientific support for attributions of conscious experience to other mammals and to birds.

Second, the empirical evidence indicates at least a realistic possibility of conscious experience in all vertebrates (including reptiles, amphibians, and fishes) and many invertebrates (including, at minimum, cephalopod mollusks, decapod crustaceans, and insects).

Third, when there is a realistic possibility of conscious experience in an animal, it is irresponsible to ignore that possibility in decisions affecting that animal. We should consider welfare risks and use the evidence to inform our responses to these risks.

It is that third element that is most troubling to me: What should these “responses” be? We still haven’t recovered from policies driven by the ludicrous risk assessments conducted by “experts” in response to the COVID pandemic.

Jazz Shaw of Hot Air also has similar concerns.

My only concern with this report is the somewhat ominous way that the researchers mention “implications for U.S. law.” To be clear, I remain very much opposed to animal cruelty and support the enforcement of laws against such terrible behavior. But this declaration mentions the fact that the United States “does not classify animals as sentient on a federal level.”

Once you start declaring every animal to be “sentient,” does that mean that they are all entitled to the same types of rights and protections as people? I ask the question because it’s not hard to imagine some progressives using this declaration as an excuse to declare all of the cattle to be “emancipated” and force everyone to be vegans.

Of course, according to these scientists, you won’t even be able to eat the bugs, either.

I have been following the “lab-grown meat” industry, especially since its rebranding as “cultivated meat.” I find it fascinating that this declaration was issued after The Bezos Earth Fund poured $60 million into revamping alternative proteins as part of its push to make “food more sustainable.”

The Jeff Bezos-backed philanthropic organization will put money into establishing university research centers that will work on improving the taste, texture and nutrition of meat alternatives. The Bezos Centers for Sustainable Protein, to be set up over the next five years, will also focus on bringing down manufacturing costs and finding new ingredients, according to Andy Jarvis, director of Future of Food at the Bezos Earth Fund.

“Alternative proteins are an imperative if we are to stay within planetary boundaries, if we are to feed 10 billion people within those boundaries,” Jarvis said in a video interview. “We’re investing in alternative proteins because they need to be successful.”

From plant-based burgers to cultivated meat and protein grown in fermentation tanks, alternative proteins have been singled out as a way to help shift diets away from livestock, a major driver of greenhouse gas emissions. But they have struggled to win over consumers due to a lack of flavor, high prices and concerns over their nutritional content. Investment has been drying up, while the nascent cellular market has been challenged by scale-up issues and government backlash.

Humans need high quality protein to not only survive, but thrive. I do not wish to see science misused to take away my choice to buy lobster or steak as one of my protein options.

I am a bit worried that “cultured meat” may eventually mandated through regulations…similar to electric vehicles. This may be the first, small step in this process.

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