@AsukaNeko @bronze They aren't. Ants are programmed to respond to pheromone signals. You can make an ant pheromone trail that goes in a circle and they will walk laps in said circle until they die from exhaustion.

@xianc78 @bronze Ants farm, ants are ranchers, ants have heirarchy.
Using your example, their reaction to that line is sentience.
I think the original word you wanted to use was Sapient

@AsukaNeko @xianc78 youre casting pearls to swine here...

@AsukaNeko @xianc78 @bronze THE BATTLE FOR THE WORD "SAPIENT" HAD BEEN LOST QUIETLY, LITERALLY OVERSHADOWED BY OUR STRUGGLE FOR "FIGURATIVELY"

@nugger @xianc78 @bronze Yes
For all sapiens are sentient
But not all sentience is sapient

@AsukaNeko @xianc78 @nugger you don't understand
ants don't have feelings so I can go buy a dog and torture / abuse it
and because its my own private business libertarians aren't allowed to be upset at me for it

@bronze @xianc78 @nugger I am enlightened.
They say eat dogs, but they have no such intent, they just want the untouchable libertarian possession of dogs.

@AsukaNeko @xianc78 @nugger a dog's life and well being is infinitely more valuable than a libertarian's

@bronze @AsukaNeko @nugger
>A creature that walks around the house, shitting and destroying everything is infinitely more valuable than someone who defends your property and sells you black market weapons in times of government overreach.

@xianc78 @AsukaNeko @nugger im not even a dog person but i'd trust one over you alone with my (future) kids

@xianc78 @bronze @AsukaNeko OH WOW

WHEN EMPATHY IS WITHDRAWN, APPEALS TO PRINCIPLES AND ESSENTIALISM EVAPORATE.
NO ATTEMPT IS MADE TO DEFEND ONESELF ON THE BASIS OF SOME ESSENTIAL QUALITY OF HUMANITY.

THE COMPARISON IS JUST ACCEPTED AT FACE VALUE AMD A UTILITARIAN TRANSACTIONAL ARGUMENT IS MADE.

"YUP, IM AS VALUABLE AS A DOG IN PRINCIPLE, BUT LOOK AT WHAT I CAN DO FOR YOU THAT A DOG CAN'T"

@xianc78 @bronze @AsukaNeko IS THAT A CULTURAL THING, OR IS IT LEARNED FROM INSTITUTIONS OR WHAT? WHAT DO YOU GUYS THINK?

@nugger @xianc78 @bronze Simplistic so I say institutions.
Cultural is always more complex.

@xianc78 @bronze @nugger Dogs are real.
The libertarian you describe-is he in the room with us now?

@xianc78 @bronze @AsukaNeko @nugger A creature that walks around the house, shitting and destroying everything is infinitely more valuable than someone who defends your property and sells you black market weapons in times of government overreach.

>A [nigger] is infinitely more valuable than [doggie] and [myself].

*This statement does not compute*