- Apr 5, 2010
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That's a big fat load of crap. The word sentient comes from the Latin verb sentire, which means "to feel" or "to perceive" .... The word itself, for anyone with even a semblance of understanding of etymology, gives away what it means.
You WANT it to mean "highly advanced intelligence" so you can continue to act as if animals are mere objects that you can exploit and use, not caring about the visible fact that they can feel pain and suffer.
That was the standard held to for a long time, before animal rights activists started trying to change it.