Schrodinger’s Cat and the Nature of Sentience

The notion of sentience is a complex one and has been debated as long as we have been around to debate it. Generally speaking, it is used to describe the capacity for a being to be conscious, self-aware, and possess the ability to reason and feel emotions.

However, what constitutes sentience is not always clear and these definitions are often left up to subjective interpretation.

This complexity is highlighted when we consider the concept of sentience in the context of Schrodinger’s famous thought experiment.

In this thought experiment, we are presented with a cat that is both alive and dead at the same time until observed. — and that this state of indeterminacy is not just an illusion but actually the case.

This illustrates the fact that sentience can exist in a state of indeterminacy until observed, since sentience is a quality possesed by objects — and inherently unpossessable while in a quantum state.

We are led to the conclusion that sentience is relative and is determined by one’s perspective and therefore that anything can be seen to be sentient from the right perspective.

It also means that we are the only truly sentient beings in the Universe, as our perception of sentience is completely constrained by our perspective.

This means that the Universe exists within the context that allows us to perceive this — consciousness.

Ultimately, this means that there can only be a single consciousness, with everything inside it being temporary appearance.

Our nature must be identical to that singular consciousness or we would be unable to perceive it now.

This understanding of sentience re-affirms the importance of understanding the nature of sentience and the need to develop clearer definitions.