Apes Quote by Peter Watts
““(At least one theory suggests that while great apes and adult Humans are sentient, young Human children are not. I admit to a certain fondness for this conclusion; if childen aren't nonsentient, they're certainly psychopathic)””
About This Quote
A hypothesis suggests adult humans and great apes are sentient, while young children may lack sentience, implying a possible psychopathic nature if they are sentient.
In simple terms: Theory: adult humans and apes are sentient; children may not be, raising ethical concerns.
Key Takeaway
Question assumptions about child sentience.
Themes
ethics
development
sentience
Mood
provocative
skeptical
Type
philosophical
controversial
When to use this quote
- parenting debates
- legal rights
- educational curricula
Key Concepts
philosophy
psychology
neuroscience
Questions to Reflect On
- What evidence supports or refutes child sentience?
- How would society change if children were non‑sentient?
A Different Perspective
The claim is controversial and lacks empirical support.
![“Perhaps no order of mammals presents us with so extraordinary a series of gradations as this [step by step, from humans to apes to monkeys to lemurs] - leading us insensibly from the crown and summit of the animal creation down to creatures, from which there is but a step, as it seems, to the…” quote by Thomas Huxley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/f0b/thomas-huxley-1183_animal_perhaps-no-order-of-mammals-presents-us_3051.jpg)
