
"Sentience and Moral Status"
Under what conditions does a creature matter morally? Do only
conscious beings matter? If so, what sort of consciousness is
required? The popular "sentientist" view holds that the capacity for
positively and negatively valenced experiences, such as pleasure and
suffering, is required for moral status. I'll investigate this matter
using some thought experiments involving zombies, Vulcans, and trolley
problems.
David Chalmers is a Professor of Philosophy at NYU.