FROM ANTHROPOCENTRISM TO SENTIENCE: PHILOSOPHICAL, SCIENTIFIC, AND ETHICAL FOUNDATIONSDO ANTROPOCENTRISMO À SENCIÊNCIA: FUNDAMENTOS FILOSÓFICOS, CIENTÍFICOS E ÉTICOS

Abstract

Supported by religious, philosophical, and scientific justifications, the historical construction of Western thought shaped an anthropocentric conception that for centuries relegated animals to the status of mere objects instrumentalized by humans. This article aims to analyze the paradigmatic transition from this vision to the recognition of animal sentience, highlighting its philosophical foundations, the scientific consolidation of consciousness in nonhuman species, and the need to apply contemporary ethical and legal implications. Drawing on the classical concepts of Aristotle, Saint Augustine, Saint Thomas Aquinas, and Descartes, the study explores the milestones that supported the hierarchy between humans and other animals. In contrast, it presents the emergence of sentience as a moral criterion with Jeremy Bentham, the impact of Darwin's evolutionary theory, the advances in comparative neuroscience, and the international declarations recognizing animal consciousness. Finally, the role of the concept of sentience in the ethical foundation for the legal protection of animals is highlighted, signaling a break with the anthropocentric tradition and the adoption of a senticentrist model.