Thread by @EveKeneinan

The Orville just made me angry.

Star Trek was the one who popularized this misuse of language.

“Sentient” means “having senses.”

ALL ANIMALS ARE SENTIENT.

You mean “intelligent” or “sapient.”

We’re homo sapiens not homo sentiens.

Can an amoeba feel? Then it’s SENTIENT.

“Sentient” is the line between plants and animals, the line between “can feel” and “cannot feel.”

It is NOT the line between rational/sapient/intelligent life and feeling life.

And no matter what bullshit people say about “humans are just animals,” we all know that there would be a VAST DIFFERENCE between our discovering another species of INTELLIGENT life, and merely finding a planet with plant and animal life.

When you get shipwrecked an a “desert island” is means an island desert of PEOPLE. It can be full of animals and plants.

That’s why when your were shipwrecked in ancient times, the first thing you wanted to know is “Is this a desert island or one with people?”

Archimedes:

It’s a good thought experiment you can do: what would it take to convince you that INTELLIGENT LIFE existed on a newfound planet (at least at one time).

I suggest semantically meaningful symbols would be sufficient, as Euclid I.1 was sufficient for Archimedes.

That would include writing, representational art, complex buildings and structures, or information-rich artifacts.

But make the thought experiment yourself: what signs would convince you a new planet, let us say one with abundant plants and animals, has at least one intelligent species?