The phrase “sentient” is pronounced with the stress on the second syllable, like “SEN-shunt.” It’s an adjective meaning “in a position to really feel or understand,” and it’s typically used to explain residing beings, comparable to people and animals.
Sentience is a vital idea in philosophy and ethics, as it’s the foundation for our capacity to expertise pleasure and ache, and to make ethical choices. The idea of sentience can also be essential within the area of synthetic intelligence, as researchers work to develop machines which might be able to feeling and experiencing the world round them.
