Thanks. In the cover email we sent to the researchers, we did make it clear that the survey was about suffering in non-human animals, so the statement about mammals should be read as excluding members of our species (but not other primates). As for the alternative interpretations of ‘x can suffer’, we thought the natural interpretation was ‘At least some species in this group can suffer’, but I agree that we could have phrased the sentence less ambiguously.
“Foos can suffer” could mean “all foos can suffer”, “the prototypical foo can suffer”, or “there exists a foo that can suffer”.
You might clarify whether “mammals” is meant to include humans and other primates.
Thanks. In the cover email we sent to the researchers, we did make it clear that the survey was about suffering in non-human animals, so the statement about mammals should be read as excluding members of our species (but not other primates). As for the alternative interpretations of ‘x can suffer’, we thought the natural interpretation was ‘At least some species in this group can suffer’, but I agree that we could have phrased the sentence less ambiguously.