History of denying animal pain shows why we shouldn't trust intuitions about AI consciousness
austinc3301 · x · 2026-10-01
In a debate touching on AI and consciousness, the author argues against trusting intuitions: people once 'obviously' believed animals couldn't feel pain, just as past societies denied that enslaved people felt pain. Human intuitions on such questions have repeatedly failed, and philosophers of mind and cognitive scientists remain split — so the question deserves reflection rather than confident dismissal.
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