Pet Peeve · 1:29am Jun 9th, 2013
Okay, I'm all riled up and have nothing to vent on, so I'm just going to whine for a bit.
MY LITTLE PONIES ARE NOT SENTIENT.
Okay, no, they are, but... backing up a little.
A lot of stories I see have the comment that 'humans are the only sentient creature' on Earth. NO. BAD.
Sentience refers to the ability to perceive and think- all large animals have this. Sapience refers to intelligence, higher conciousness and self-awareness.
Humans are the only (confirmed) sapient species on Earth. There are lots of sentient animals. Sapience is a subset of sentience, and Equestria ponies are BOTH.
So, just to summarise:
SAPIENT (and Sentient):
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POSSIBLY SAPIENT (unconfirmed/debatable):
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SENTIENT, BUT NOT SAPIENT:
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Oh Celestia that's hilarious!