Jonathan Birch: Podcast Interviews

Jonathan Birch

birchlse

Philosopher, Biologist, Cognitive scientist

3 Interviews

Jonathan Birch's Interviews

Sean Carroll & Jonathan Birch • 14 Oct 2024 • EN

Jonathan Birch on Animal Sentience

It's not immoral to kick a rock; it is immoral to kick a baby. At what point do we start saying that it is wrong to cause pain to something? This question has less to do with "consciousness" and more to do with "sentience" -- the ability to perceive feelings and sensations. Philosopher Jonathan Birch has embarked on a

Jonathan Birch • 15 Aug 2024 • EN

#196 – Jonathan Birch on the edge cases of sentience and why they matter

"In the 1980s, it was still apparently common to perform surgery on newborn babies without anaesthetic on both sides of the Atlantic. This led to appalling cases, and to public outcry, and to campaigns to change clinical practice. And as soon as [some courageous scientists] looked for evidence, it showed that this prac

Madeleine Finlay & Jonathan Birch • 25 Nov 2021 • EN

Do lobsters have feelings? – podcast

Last week the UK government confirmed it would be extending its animal welfare (sentience) bill to include decapods (such as crabs, lobsters and crayfish), and cephalopods (such as octopuses, squid and cuttlefish). The move followed a government-commissioned review of the scientific evidence, which found strong evidenc