Is a little old ant a sentient being?

 

(Photo by Stephen Ausmus)

There’s a well-known song titled “High Hopes” which tells of a “little old ant” that can “think” about moving a rubber tree plant.  Lyricist Sammy Kahn goes on to attribute a capacity for “high hopes” to this very same creature.

Whether an ant can “think” and even “hope” remains debatable, but whether an ant qualifies as a sentient being is becoming way more acceptable. 

In 1991 the Institute for Medical Ethics (IME) drew up a list of criteria for sentience that has been instrumental in establishing animal welfare policies.  This list includes the following: receptors sensitive to noxious stimuli, behavioral follow-ups to avoid such pain, plus receptivity to analgesics. 

Anyone who’s tried to noxiously discourage an army of invading ants could affirm the presence of these IME criteria within the ants’ responses!  Add a version of “High Hopes” to the mix as they desperately flee from human attacks…

 

Resources

https://academic.oup.com/book/57949/chapter/475704868#workid-UKAC0026318-book-part-17-boxed-text-1