Exploring Animal Sentience & Consciousness w/Daniel Parilo - Notre Dame Neuroscience Graduate

In this episode of Barn & Beyond, we sit down with Daniel Parilo, a neuroscience graduate of Notre Dame, for a thoughtful conversation about what it means for animals to think, feel, and experience the world. Drawing from ideas in animal sentience, consciousness, and cognition, Daniel helps us explore how science is reshaping the way we understand nonhuman minds.

Together, we discuss the growing evidence that animals are more emotionally and cognitively complex than they are often given credit for, and how that understanding has shaped Daniel’s views as a vegan. From questions of awareness and suffering to the ethical responsibilities humans have toward other species, this episode invites listeners to reconsider the lives of animals beyond the barn and beyond our assumptions.

Whether you are curious about neuroscience, animal ethics, veganism, or the inner lives of other beings, this conversation offers an accessible and compassionate look at why animal minds matter.