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Jonathan Birch

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The United Kingdom

Genre

Philosophy

Member Since

March 2024

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I'm a Professor of Philosophy at the London School of Economics, where I direct The Jeremy Coller Centre for Animal Sentience. I study how science is transforming our understanding of the minds of other animals, and the implications of the science for ethics, policy and law. ...more

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Can you tell us a two-sentence horror story?

Jonathan Birch As recently at the the 1980s, surgery was routinely performed on newborn babies without anaesthesia. It took a public outcry to change clinical practi…moreAs recently at the the 1980s, surgery was routinely performed on newborn babies without anaesthesia. It took a public outcry to change clinical practice - underlining the value of involving the public in debates about the edge of sentience. (less)

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I've just finished reading The Edge of Sentience. While very thorough, it seems to me that an underexplored topic is why should we care at all about the possibility of the infliction of suffering in other sentient beings, especially those that might exist in a form so obscure that "suffering" might be meaningless. Did you mean to explore this topic and if you decided not to, why?

Jonathan Birch Thanks for reading! I'm not sure what specific cases you're thinking about. I can say it was a deliberate choice to discuss the human cases first, sta…moreThanks for reading! I'm not sure what specific cases you're thinking about. I can say it was a deliberate choice to discuss the human cases first, starting with patients with disorders of consciousness following severe brain injuries. In those cases, the need to take a risk of suffering seriously even when you're not sure, and even when considering a state of consciousness quite different from your own, is extremely easy to see. The thought is a very easy and natural one to have. And the book is structured so as to encourage the reader to hold that thought and carry it with them to harder and harder cases. Few people ask "why should I care at all?" when confronted with unresponsive patients in the ICU; that question only creeps in gradually as distance from humans increases. And I want to encourage the reader to ask themselves: did I have good reasons to have the "why should I care?" thought at that specific juncture (e.g. when we moved from fishes to invertebrates)? Is there a real difference in the cases that can justify the difference in my reactions, or is the difference a bias I cannot justify?(less)

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Jonathan Birch’s books

Average rating: 4.19 · 99 ratings · 26 reviews · 2 distinct works • Similar authors

	The Edge of Sentience: Risk and Precaution in Humans, Other Animals, and AI 4.18 avg rating — 89 ratings — published 2024 — 5 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Philosophy of Social Evolution 4.30 avg rating — 10 ratings — 4 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

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Jonathan Birch is currently reading

The Passenger (The Passenger #1)

by Cormac McCarthy

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Dec 05, 2024 05:37AM

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Jonathan’s Recent Updates

Jonathan Birch and 2 other people liked James Bevan's review of Feeding Britain: Our Food Problems and How to Fix Them (Pelican Books): "Really interesting topic which needs to be higher up the agenda of everyone. However, the book wasn’t structured well and it spent too long on sharing stats about the problems we are facing. After a while it was just a bit depressing. It also started" Read more of this review »
May 11, 2026 01:35PM · see review
Jonathan Birch rated a book it was amazing The Black Book (Vintage International) by Orhan Pamuk	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Apr 24, 2026 10:24AM · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of The Black Book by Orhan Pamuk. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — The Black Book by Orhan Pamuk <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Jonathan Birch rated a book it was amazing Demons by Fyodor Dostoevsky	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Apr 23, 2026 02:28PM · like
Jonathan Birch rated a book it was amazing The Brothers Karamazov by Fyodor Dostoevsky	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Apr 23, 2026 02:28PM · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of The Brothers Karamazov by Fyodor Dostoevsky. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — The Brothers Karamazov by Fyodor Dostoevsky <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Jonathan Birch rated a book it was amazing The Idiot by Fyodor Dostoevsky	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Apr 23, 2026 02:28PM · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of The Idiot by Fyodor Dostoevsky. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — The Idiot by Fyodor Dostoevsky <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Jonathan Birch rated a book it was amazing Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoevsky	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
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Jonathan Birch has read The Brothers Karamazov by Fyodor Dostoevsky	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Apr 23, 2026 02:28PM · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of The Brothers Karamazov by Fyodor Dostoevsky. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — The Brothers Karamazov by Fyodor Dostoevsky <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
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Apr 23, 2026 02:28PM · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of The Idiot by Fyodor Dostoevsky. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — The Idiot by Fyodor Dostoevsky <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Jonathan Birch has read Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoevsky	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
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Jonathan Birch rated a book it was amazing The Portrait of a Lady by Henry James	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
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