Sophont vs Sentient - What's the difference?
sophont | sentient |
(chiefly, science fiction) An intelligent being; a being with a base reasoning capacity roughly equivalent to or greater than that of a human being. The word does not apply to machines unless they have true artificial intelligence, rather than mere processing capacity.
* {{quote-book
, year = 1966
, first = Poul
, last = Anderson
, authorlink = Poul Anderson
, title = Trouble Twisters
, passage = Likewise with the psychology of intelligent species. Most sophonts indeed possess basic instincts which diverge more or less from man's. With those of radically alien motivations we have little contact.
}}
* 1980 , , p50
* 1992 , , Tor Books, p406
* 1997 , , Lifehouse , Baen Books, p2
* 2004 , Howard Tayler , Mar. 28, 2004, web-comic / self-published
* 2007 , Howard Tayler, , Nov. 30, 2007, web-comic / self-published
* 2009 , Howard Tayler, , Oct. 11, 2009, web-comic / self-published
Conscious or self-aware.
Experiencing sensation, thinking, thought, or feeling.
Possessing human-like knowledge and intelligence.
Lifeform with the capability to feel sensation, such as pain.
(chiefly, science fiction) An intelligent, self-aware being.
* {{quote-book
, year = 1965
, first = Philip José
, last = Farmer
, authorlink = Philip José Farmer
, title =
, passage = The merpeople and the sentients who lived on the beach often hitched rides on these creatures, steering them by pressure on exposed nerve centers.
}}
In chiefly|science fiction|lang=en terms the difference between sophont and sentient
is that sophont is (chiefly|science fiction) an intelligent being; a being with a base reasoning capacity roughly equivalent to or greater than that of a human being the word does not apply to machines unless they have true artificial intelligence, rather than mere processing capacity while sentient is (chiefly|science fiction) an intelligent, self-aware being.As nouns the difference between sophont and sentient
is that sophont is (chiefly|science fiction) an intelligent being; a being with a base reasoning capacity roughly equivalent to or greater than that of a human being the word does not apply to machines unless they have true artificial intelligence, rather than mere processing capacity while sentient is lifeform with the capability to feel sensation, such as pain.As an adjective sentient is
conscious or self-aware.sophont
English
Noun
(en noun)- I'm honored to meet a sophont of the Soro line in person!
- Evil, they argued, could only have meaning on smaller scales, in the hurt that one sophont does to another.
- Only one sophont appeared to be involved—and not a sophisticated one.
- Like most sensible sophonts , they invented civilization. With civilization came civility, civil service, and of course civil war.
- As I understand it, he sought to avoid turning one-point-six trillion terran sophonts into undead, war-mongering super-soldiers.
- Reflection on the nature of sapience, and the ubiquity of violence among sophonts ?