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.
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Nick (@NickPende & theconversation) is a Sociologist who researches social movements, social change & Critical Animal Studies. He is a member of The Institute for Critical Animal Studies, the International Association of Vegan Sociologists & The Australian Sociological Association. Nick co-hosts the Freedom of Species podcast & radio show on Melbourne’s 3CR community radio station & also co-hosts the Progressive Podcast Australia podcast with his partner Katie.
In Sentientist Conversations we talk about the two most important questions: “what’s real?” & “what matters?”
Sentientism is “evidence, reason & compassion for all sentient beings.” The video of our conversation is here on YouTube.
We discuss:
00:00 Welcome
01:22 Nick’s Intro
– Animal advocacy & social justice activism – doing them & studying them sociologically
– Hosting the Freedom of Species podcast & radio show
04:50 What’s Real?
– Growing up non-religious w/agnostic (or atheist?) parents
– Joining a religious friend at Sunday School
– Being very anti-religious at 5-6 years old (a mini Richard Dawkins?) “This doesn’t make any sense at all”
– “Religion or spirituality has zero impact on my ethics”
– Softening somewhat…
– “Myq Kaplan probably started off where I was before taking mushrooms… I’ve just never taken the mushrooms”
– Non-supernatural analogues for spirituality/supernatural: Flow states, rituals, habits
– The ethical problems of believing without evidence e.g. anti-vaxx
– Harry Potter & the Methods of Rationality fanfic
– Being open minded but not wasting our time on every implausible claim
– Religion as a brake on social progress (sexism, homophobia, speciesism…)
– Religion’s positive & negative functions in society
– Reforming religions to conform w/secular ethics
– Threatening children w/eternal torture
22:35 What Matters?
– A Christian friend: “You seem like quite ethical people but you’re not religious!”
– Socially progressive, liberal parents, so ethics came naturally
– Apathetic & apolitical as a kid. “I was more into ice hockey”
– Punk rock as a gateway into ethics & politics. Bad Religion
– Protesting the Iraq war
– Anti-war, pro-env, human rights, then animal rights & veganism “It just made total sense”
– Justice first, then compassion. More a rational than an emotional response
– Challenging hierarchies. Human & non-human
– “It didn’t make sense that I was above my dog”
…and much more. Full show notes at Sentientism.info and on YouTube.
Sentientism is “Evidence, reason & compassion for all sentient beings.” More at Sentientism.info. Join our “I’m a Sentientist” wall via this simple form.
Everyone, Sentientist or not, is welcome in our groups. The biggest so far is here on FaceBook. Come join us there!
Thanks Graham.
Howie (@askhowie & plantyourself.com) is a coach & author & podcast host. His coaching work with people & organisations focuses on leadership, values, productivity & health. In Sentientist Conversations we talk about the two most important questions: “what’s real?” & …continue
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Raffael Fasel is University Assistant Professor in Public Law at the Cambridge Law Faculty and Fellow of Jesus College. He specialises in public law, with a particular interest in constitutional theory, human rights law, and animal rights law. Raffael is …continue
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Isabella La Rocca Gonzalez is an artist, writer, photographer, teacher and activist. She describes her work as “part of a long tradition in art and photography: to bring to light and find beauty in the hidden, unconscious, or disregarded. As …continue
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