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Evidence of Animal Insentience

Published · revised · 4-minute read

I have been collecting Instagram videos of animals for years. These videos are evidence of the fact that animals are not sentient. They mostly show bugs and nonsensical behavior, things that wouldn’t happen if animals were sentient.

Some of the same bugs are present in several different animals of the same species, and even across species, meaning those bugs must be genetic. It also means animals execute their genetic programming uncritically. What all of these videos have in common is that the animals are not critical. I think the ability to be critical is a necessary requirement for sentience.

Many of these videos are hilarious but I list them for serious analysis. The comments people posted on those videos are worth reading, too. People often realize how nonsensical, even robotic animals are but then don’t draw the logical conclusion that animals aren’t sentient.

Over the years, people who think animals are sentient have challenged me to explain dozens of different behaviors in terms of insentience. Which I did every time. So here’s my challenge: explain every single video below in terms of sentience. And after you’re done, I will have another list just as long. (I have many more videos saved but stopped listing them at some point – I think the list below is exhaustive already.)

The videos are mostly of cats because I like cats and Instagram shows me more of those. But there are some other animals too, like dogs and different kinds of birds, a snail and a bear, etc.


References

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What people are saying

This cat has the exact same meowing pattern on three occasions: https://www.instagram.com/reel/C-41ee_JXup/

The video even calls the cat an ‘NPC’ (non-playable character, ie dumb video-game AI, which often makes the exact same utterances):

When your cat is actually an NPC and he tries to offer you the same side quest every single time you walk to his area of the map.

It’s a joke but shouldn’t be.

#1012 · Dennis Hackethal ( verified commenter) on a later version (v4) of this post
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Cat ‘uses’ missing arm to hit other cats: https://www.reddit.com/r/funnycats/comments/1fgd667/this_is_instinct/

#1177 · Dennis Hackethal ( verified commenter) on a later version (v6) of this post
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Dog kicks itself, gets ‘mad’/‘confused’: https://www.reddit.com/r/awwtf/comments/1fgghgi/who_kicked_him/

#1178 · Dennis Hackethal ( verified commenter) on a later version (v6) of this post
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#1210 · Dennis Hackethal ( verified commenter) on a later version (v6) of this post
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Cat doesn’t recognize owner anymore after owner gets haircut: https://www.instagram.com/reel/DAA4BMgNa-G/

#1243 · Dennis Hackethal ( verified commenter) on a later version (v6) of this post
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Somebody shared this video of a dog basically humping the air: https://x.com/pho_lil/status/1836042271491309836

#1276 · Dennis Hackethal ( verified commenter) on a later version (v6) of this post
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That reminds me, I once saw female dog trying to hump a male dog.

#1277 · Dennis Hackethal ( verified commenter) on a later version (v6) of this post in response to comment #1276
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This cat does the swimming motion mid air but without any water or illusion of water: https://www.instagram.com/reel/DLnrlHoz2KR/

#3712 · anonymous on a later version (v7) of this post
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I am very grateful for your German translations of Deutsch’s works and particular interested in your conjecture that minds must rely on self-replicating ideas!

In that spirit I appreciate you elaborating on the question of animal sentience, which at least in part is a moral question, where the answer to an animal’s sentience will largely influence my behavior towards it—to eat, or not to eat, that’s the question.

Because I’ve struggled with finding satisfying answers to this question (and perhaps I find the most satisfying in Brett Hall’s article: https://www.bretthall.org/humans-and-other-animals.html) I appreciate your discourse.

However it seems to me that the videos are solely verification attempts of the hypothesis that animals are automatons.

The argument seems to be lacking, for if all I collected was videos of people behaving reflexively (flinching at a digital projectile on a TV or phone screen that’s flying towards the camera) I might as well draw the same conclusion.

In case of people, we are quickly persuaded of sentience (besides our own first hand experience of it) by the creations of Popper’s World 3. We can create explanatory knowledge, in self-reference and in relation to an imagined past and future.

I think the strength of the arguments on this blog would go up in credence, were videos of animal displayed where animals show sentience or foresight, in addition with the ‘automaton explanation’ of their behavior.

I can imagine the animal rights activist pulling up examples of animals that ‘clearly’ grieve the loss of a family member, which cannot (at least on the surface) have an evolutionary explanation. This is very common in elephants, I believe.

I am sure there are other behaviors that are difficult (but not impossible) to explain via genetic knowledge alone. Brett’s conversation with Bret Weinstein shed some light on one of those behaviors of Apes where two males share a female for sexual reproduction—the explanation of which turned out to involve some form of twins, who would benefit if either of the males reproduced, according to the Neo-Darwinist explanation.

Oh and I hope it is obvious I am writing in good faith—my conscience would deeply benefit from finding better explanations that involve animals’ insentience. 😅

#3719 · Aaron Martin (people may not be who they claim to be) on a later version (v7) of this post
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[I]t seems to me that the videos are solely verification attempts of the hypothesis that animals are automatons.

Have you read my other articles on the topic and also my book? I have written extensively on the subject. For example, there’s my FAQ about animals and the section about explaining animal behavior.

Also, there’s this post explaining that the same evidence can be interpreted in opposite ways depending on which theories you use to interpret it. A lot of people would consider the above videos evidence of animal sentience.

Re elephants: I’ve heard theories about ‘mourning’ and found this video. “The hovering foot seems to be trying to deduce who this [corpse] was.” What? 😆 “It’s as though they’re paying homage to someone they once knew.” Or they’re just rooting around the corpse to find nutrients. Who on earth would “fondle the bones” of a lost family member to mourn them?? “[S]uch an interest in death suggests a recognition of their own existence. Only a fully conscious being can think in such a way.” Meanwhile, all you actually see is an elephant awkwardly trying to place a bone in its mouth.

Keep in mind, these are animal shows designed to get people to identify with animals and keep watching. The makers of such shows may embellish things if it gets them more views.

That said, feel free to cite other animal behaviors and I’ll take a look. People have challenged me to explain dozens of animal behaviors in terms of mindless automation. I haven’t been stumped yet…

I am sure there are other behaviors that are difficult (but not impossible) to explain via genetic knowledge alone.

Some animals also have culture. So, just because we cannot refer to genetic knowledge alone does not mean creativity is the only other possible source of knowledge for a given animal.

Oh and I hope it is obvious I am writing in good faith—my conscience would deeply benefit from finding better explanations that involve animals’ insentience. 😅

If you feel guilty about eating animals, I don’t think there’s any reason to. As in: it’s 100% a non-issue, morally.

#3720 · Dennis Hackethal ( verified commenter) · Signed · on a later version (v7) of this post in response to comment #3719
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