Tool

Benefit of the Doubt

The decision matrix for when we do not know whether a being can feel.

We do not know for sure whether a certain being is sentient. Should we treat it as if it were? Adjust the values and compare the expected cost of each attitude.

Probability that the being is sentient: 10% Harm to the being if it is sentient and we treat it as an object (0 to 100): 80 Cost to us of acting with caution (0 to 100): 5

	Is sentient	Is not sentient
Treat as sentient
Treat as an object

Expected cost of each attitude

Shorter bar = better choice.

This is the reasoning from Volume II, chapter 13: if a being is sentient and we act as if it were not, the harm is greater than in the opposite case. That is why the principle suggests erring on the side of caution.

Based on Vol. II, ch. 13: Uncertainty About Sentience and the Benefit of the Doubt.