We discuss the biggest questions: "what's real?", "who matters?" and "how to make a better world?" with scientists, celebrities, activists, writers and philosophers. The Sentientism worldview is "evidence, reason and compassion for all sentient beings." It's a simple, yet radical, philosophy that's grounded in reality (naturalistic epistemology) and has compassion for all sentient beings (mostly human and non-human animals). Naturalism & sentiocentrism combined.
SUBSCRIBE: Apple Podcast | Website | Spotify | RSS
Walter (https://twitter.com/wrwveit & https://walterveit.com/) is an interdisciplinary scientist, philosopher & writer focusing on biology, minds & ethics. He publishes the ‘Science & Philosophy‘ series on Psychology Today & Medium.
In these Sentientist Conversations we talk about the two most important questions: “what’s real?” & “what matters?” Sentientism is “evidence, reason & compassion for all sentient beings.”
Our conversation is also here on YouTube: https://youtu.be/xxSGItuaSn4.
We discuss:
– Defending Descartes, as a child!
– Studying philosophy, politics, economics & science
– Writing a PhD on the philosophy of consciousness. How sentience came to arise in a purely physical universe
– Growing up in an agnostic family, attending church but “grumbling”
– Finding it strange learning about god at school. Asking annoying questions 🙂
– A brief early teenage phase of believing in god, then reverting to atheism
– Church seemed like a “weird cult-like thing.” “It just didn’t make sense.”
– There are thousands of religions. They can’t all be right. Just disbelieving in one more than religious people do
– Being a “hard-core naturalist” but still feeling the pull of superstition
– Finding naturalism reassuring. Can abandon the “f*cking scary stuff” (monsters, ghosts, hell)
– We can just enjoy our lives & explore the universe
– The pull of being part of something larger. The universe, a tribe, a sports team fan group…
– The hesitation in Germany about collectivism
– “It’s a peculiar world we live in – it’s exciting”
– Does morality crumble without the normative force of a god. “A dude in the sky making up laws and we just have to follow them”
– People sceptical of morality aren’t sceptical about laws. You can break them but there might be consequences
– Too much of morality seems arbitrary. But Bentham almost proposed utilitarianism as a sort of science, not morality
– Utilitarians in the UK were engaged in politics & in improving the world
– Instead of considering morality – just consider the facts re: “What do animals want from their own point of view”
– Facts: animals exist. They can be harmed. They don’t like suffering
– Humans evolved as a social species. That makes us care
– “Morality” might create more harms than benefits!
– There is no dividing line between humans and other animals because we all have interests
– Both morality and religion have been used to divide humans & animals
– Even oppressive groups have divided people through an appeal to morality
– The deep connection between morality and spirituality/religion. Often naturalists & atheists don’t see the danger
– Naturalists are attacked for being amoral but are no less moral
– And much more… Full show notes are on Sentientism.info. I ran out of space!
Sentientism is “Evidence, reason & compassion for all sentient beings.” More at https://sentientism.info/.
Join our “wall” https://sentientism.info/wall/ using this form: https://sentientism.info/im-a-sentientist.
Everyone interested, Sentientist or not, is welcome to join our groups. Our main one is here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/sentientism.
Thanks, Graham for the post-prod: https://twitter.com/cgbessellieu.
Kristof is a social psychologist and senior lecturer at the university of Kent where he runs SHARKLab (Study of Human InterGroup & Animal Relations). He is the author of “Why We Love and Exploit Animals”. We discuss: – The psychology …continue
Proudly brought to you by: 17 April 2021
David Clough is Professor and Chair in Theology and AppliedSciences at the University of Aberdeen. He is a Local Preacher in the Methodist Church. David is also co-president of the charity CreatureKind and he founded the DefaultVeg project, now part …continue
Proudly brought to you by: 6 November 2025
Joan Slonczewski is a microbiologist at Kenyon College and a science fiction writer who explores biology and space travel. Their books have twice earned the John W. Campbell Memorial Award for Best Science Fiction Novel: “A Door into Ocean” and …continue
Proudly brought to you by: 20 October 2025
