I can’t reply to your immediate child, I just wanted to mention that Muv-luv Alternative (the #1 rated visual novel on vndb) grapples precisely with these quest

I can’t reply to your immediate child, I just wanted to mention that Muv-luv Alternative (the #1 rated visual novel on vndb) grapples precisely with these questions about what is sentient and what is not. An “inhuman” race called the Beta invades earth and conflict ensues due to a lack of mutual understanding of what sentient life is (the game flips the theme on its nose in a clever way, too). You can find the game on steam - https://store.steampowered.com/app/802890/MuvLuv_Alternative/ https://store.steampowered.com/app/802890/MuvLuv_Alternative...