Jonathan Birch

Jonathan Birch is a British philosopher. He is professor of philosophy at the London School of Economics and Political Science. Birch's work addresses the philosophy of biology and behavioural sciences, especially questions concerning sentience, bioethics, animal welfare, and the evolution of social behaviour and social norms.

In 2017, he published the book The Philosophy of Social Evolution, which explores social behaviour in everything from microorganisms to humans and higher primates. In 2021, he was the Principal Investigator of a review that led the UK to recognize cephalopods and decapod crustaceans as sentient. In 2024, he published the book The Edge of Sentience, which examines the concept of sentience, whether artificial intelligence or animals like insects may be sentient, and how to handle the uncertainty.

Education Birch read for a Bachelor of Arts with honours in Natural Sciences at the University of Cambridge from 2005 to 2008, and then an MPhil in History and Philosophy of Science at Cambridge from 2008 to 2009. He read for a PhD in History and Philosophy of Science at Cambridge from 2009 to 2013.

Career

Birch was the lead author of a report entitled Review of the Evidence of Sentience in Cephalopod Molluscs and Decapod Crustaceans for the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, published in 2021. The report recommended that cephalopods and decapod crustaceans should be considered sentient under the Animal Welfare Act 2006 and other UK laws. Later that year, along with Jeff Sebo and Kristin Andrews, he launched the New York Declaration on Animal Consciousness. The declaration affirms that "there is strong scientific support for attributions of conscious experience to other mammals and to birds"; that "the empirical evidence indicates at least a realistic possibility of conscious experience in all vertebrates (including reptiles, amphibians, and fishes) and many invertebrates (including, at minimum, cephalopod mollusks, decapod crustaceans, and insects)", and that "when there is a realistic possibility of conscious experience in an animal, it is irresponsible to ignore that possibility in decisions affecting that animal". Birch was in Vox's 2024 "Future Perfect 50", a list highlighting individuals contributing to a better future.

Birch's second book, The Edge of Sentience: Risk and Precaution in Humans, Other Animals, and AI, was released in open access in July 2024 by Oxford University Press. The book examines topics such as the mind-body problem, which entities can be considered sentience candidates,Refn|According to Birch, "A system S is a sentience candidate if there is an evidence base that (a) implies a realistic possibility of sentience in S that it would be irresponsible to ignore when making policy decisions that will affect S, and (b) is rich enough to allow the identification of welfare risks and the design and assessment of precautions." The book won The Royal Institute of Philosophy's 2025 Nayef Al-Rodhan Book Prize.

In March 2025 the London School of Economics announced the creation of the Jeremy Coller Centre for Animal Sentience, supported by a £4 million donation from the Jeremy Coller Foundation. The Centre launched in autumn 2025 under Birch's directorship, aiming to bring together interdisciplinary expertise to advance the scientific study of animal feelings and their policy implications. Its agenda includes developing guidance for policymakers and NGOs, advising on behavioural change and the abolition of inhumane practices, and exploring ethical applications of artificial intelligence in relation to animals.

Selected publications