No evidence that pain is painful neural process
Animal Sentience August 3, 2026 DOI: 10.51291/2377-7478.1034 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Theoretical or philosophical paper Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Topics | Philosophy of mind |
| Keywords | Neuroscience and neurobiology Philosophy of science |
| Key points | Argues that Key's claim that fish lack pain because they lack mammalian neural structures is unsupported, since no mammalian structure has been proven sufficient for pain, and contingent necessity in mammals does not imply necessity in all organisms. |
Abstract
Key (2016) claims that fish do not feel pain because they lack the neural structures that have a contingent causal role in generating and feeling pain in mammals. I counterargue that no conclusive evidence supports the sufficiency of any mammalian neural structure to produce pain. We cannot move from contingent necessity in mammals to necessity in every organism.
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