The Nugget

The New York Declaration on Animal Consciousness, signed by hundreds of scientists, asserts that there is strong scientific support for attributions of conscious experience to animals beyond just humans. Despite mounting evidence of animal sentience, societal attitudes about consuming meat, dairy, and eggs remain largely unchanged.

Make it stick

The declaration is signed by nearly 40 scientists from various disciplines, stating there is scientific support for attributions of conscious experience to mammals, birds, and potentially all vertebrates.
It emphasizes the ethical imperative to consider conscious experience in animals when making decisions affecting them.
Despite mounting evidence supporting animal sentience, societal norms around consuming animal products remain largely unaltered, with 95% of Americans still consuming meat.

The nervous system structure of mammals suggests they process pain similarly to humans, and observable behaviors indicate the ability to experience sensations and feelings.
The last decade has seen significant discoveries supporting animal sentience, challenging old beliefs that discounted animal experiences.

Descartes' idea that animals are mere automata without subjective experiences is baseless, yet it continues to affect societal views on animal consciousness.
The "problem of other minds" philosophy questions our ability to truly understand the experiences of other beings, yet we generally act with consideration toward others based on observable behaviors and scientific evidence.

"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 dark truth is that many people ultimately aren’t interested in an accurate answer to the question of animal sentience—they just want to find evidence against it, in order to maintain their ethical justifications for what they buy, eat, and wear."
"If we truly care about behaving ethically, we need to finally start listening to scientists."
"The 'wide points of agreement' shared in the declaration are about the closest thing to a definitive answer that we’re likely to get."
"But if we truly care about behaving ethically, we need to finally start listening to scientists."

This summary contains AI-generated information and may have important inaccuracies or omissions.