Sentience
Discussion
The Three Attributes That Enable Sentience in Human Beings:
#1. A brain of adequate complexity to enable an understanding of language.
#2. A voice box complex enough for speech.
#3. Hands with opposable thumbs for recording and preserving language.
Many species have two of these attributes. Humans have all three. ㅤ
My two cats I owned as a child (mother and daughter) were hyper intelligent and highly empathetic. Yet none the less, them as with dogs, I consider to be sentient to a lesser degree, possessing lesser souls. This in no way should be seen as a slight against them, as a black bear also has a lesser soul, yet demands your respect.