The phrase “sentient” is pronounced with the stress on the second syllable, like “SEN-shunt.” It’s an adjective meaning “in a position to really feel or understand,” and it’s usually used to explain residing beings, corresponding to people and animals.
Sentience is a vital idea in philosophy and ethics, as it’s the foundation for our potential to expertise pleasure and ache, and to make ethical selections. The idea of sentience can be vital within the subject of synthetic intelligence, as researchers work to develop machines which are able to feeling and experiencing the world round them.