05-19-2026, 11:26 PM
Sebastian was thrown a bit when Raven mentioned the Exocomps being sentient. Yes, he understood what Sentients meant. Sentient means having the capacity to experience sensations and feelings, such as pain, pleasure, joy, or fear. It refers to a basic level of conscious awareness—perceiving the world through senses—rather than high-level intelligence or self-awareness, which are typically termed "sapience." He wasn’t sure that the Exocomps were truly sentient. The criteria that determine sentients were fairly clear if not a bit subjective.
There are a few important distinctions: Intelligence, the ability to process information, solve problems, learn, or communicate; Consciousness, subjective awareness; having an inner experience; and Sentience, the capacity to feel or experience things, such as pain, pleasure, emotions, or awareness of existence.
A machine can appear intelligent without being sentient. It was true that modern Artificial Intelligence can hold conversations, recognize images, write stories, make decisions, imitate emotion, but that’s not actual life experience, a computer software system doesn’t know what it’s like to actually cut their arm and bleed, they don’t know the pain, they don’t experience the actual biological responses to the cuts. They don’t experience falling in love and feel the pain of losing that love.
Sebastian was of mixed emotions. The core problem is that sentience is difficult to prove even in biological beings. We assume other beings are sentient because they behave like us and have similar brains. Animals are widely considered sentient because they show pain responses, emotions, learning, social bonding, and neurological structures associated with experience. With robots or androids, the question becomes philosophical:
“Raven, I wish I could say that I fully accept the idea that the Exocomps are sentient, because the core problem is that sentience is difficult to prove even in biological beings. We assume other beings are sentient because they behave like us and have similar brains. Animals are widely considered sentient because they show pain responses, emotions, learning, social bonding, and neurological structures associated with experience. With robots or androids, the question becomes philosophical: the Arguments for machine sentience. Some philosophers and scientists argue that If a machine behaves indistinguishably from a conscious being, it may effectively be conscious. Consciousness might emerge from sufficiently complex information processing. Biology may not be required; consciousness could theoretically exist in silicon instead of neurons. When all is said and done, the Exocomps are at best intelligent tools, but my opinion could change.” Stated Sebastian. “ I’m just saying that the Exocomps are a more functional option, just based on their abilities to replicate any needed tool, but if you think drones are the way to go, that’s fine.” Said Sebastian.
== Tag All. ==
There are a few important distinctions: Intelligence, the ability to process information, solve problems, learn, or communicate; Consciousness, subjective awareness; having an inner experience; and Sentience, the capacity to feel or experience things, such as pain, pleasure, emotions, or awareness of existence.
A machine can appear intelligent without being sentient. It was true that modern Artificial Intelligence can hold conversations, recognize images, write stories, make decisions, imitate emotion, but that’s not actual life experience, a computer software system doesn’t know what it’s like to actually cut their arm and bleed, they don’t know the pain, they don’t experience the actual biological responses to the cuts. They don’t experience falling in love and feel the pain of losing that love.
Sebastian was of mixed emotions. The core problem is that sentience is difficult to prove even in biological beings. We assume other beings are sentient because they behave like us and have similar brains. Animals are widely considered sentient because they show pain responses, emotions, learning, social bonding, and neurological structures associated with experience. With robots or androids, the question becomes philosophical:
“Raven, I wish I could say that I fully accept the idea that the Exocomps are sentient, because the core problem is that sentience is difficult to prove even in biological beings. We assume other beings are sentient because they behave like us and have similar brains. Animals are widely considered sentient because they show pain responses, emotions, learning, social bonding, and neurological structures associated with experience. With robots or androids, the question becomes philosophical: the Arguments for machine sentience. Some philosophers and scientists argue that If a machine behaves indistinguishably from a conscious being, it may effectively be conscious. Consciousness might emerge from sufficiently complex information processing. Biology may not be required; consciousness could theoretically exist in silicon instead of neurons. When all is said and done, the Exocomps are at best intelligent tools, but my opinion could change.” Stated Sebastian. “ I’m just saying that the Exocomps are a more functional option, just based on their abilities to replicate any needed tool, but if you think drones are the way to go, that’s fine.” Said Sebastian.
== Tag All. ==