Editing Sentience (section)

=== Sentient animals ===
Animals such as [[Pig|pigs]], [[Chicken|chickens]], and [[fish]] are typically recognized as sentient. There is more uncertainty regarding [[Insect|insects]], and findings on certain insect species may not be applicable to others.<ref name=":02" />

Historically, fish were not considered sentient, and their behaviors were often viewed as "reflexes or complex, unconscious species-typical responses" to their environment. Their dissimilarity with humans, including the absence of a direct equivalent of the [[neocortex]] in their brain, was used as an argument against sentience.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Woodruff |first=Michael |date=3 July 2020 |title=Fish are nothing like us, except that they are sentient beings |url=https://aeon.co/essays/fish-are-nothing-like-us-except-that-they-are-sentient-beings |access-date=2024-06-08 |website=Aeon |language=en}}</ref> [[Jennifer Jacquet]] suggests that the belief that fish do not feel pain originated in response to a 1980s policy aimed at banning [[catch and release]].<ref>{{Cite web |date=2023-06-25 |title=Do fish feel emotions? Experts weigh in on the ethics of fish farming |url=https://www.euronews.com/green/2023/06/25/fish-have-feelings-too-why-animal-sentience-means-we-should-rethink-food |access-date=2024-06-08 |website=euronews |language=en}}</ref> The range of animals regarded by scientists as sentient or conscious has progressively widened, now including animals such as fish, lobsters and octopus.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2024-04-19 |title=Scientists push new paradigm of animal consciousness, saying even insects may be sentient |url=https://www.nbcnews.com/science/science-news/animal-consciousness-scientists-push-new-paradigm-rcna148213 |access-date=2024-06-08 |website=NBC News |language=en}}</ref>