Can't think of a good word or term to describe not feeling or thinking [closed]
An embryo hasn't yet developed sentience.
sentient condition or character; capacity for sensation or feeling.
I might give "insensate" a try and see if you like it.
ADJECTIVE
- Lacking physical sensation.
‘a patient who was permanently unconscious and insensate’
1.1 Lacking sympathy or compassion; unfeeling. ‘a positively insensate hatred’
- Completely lacking sense or reason. 2
‘insensate jabbering’
Per enxaneta's comment, both consciousness and awareness would fit. For consciousness, meanings 1 and 3 both work:
- the state of being conscious; awareness of one's own existence, sensations, thoughts, surroundings, etc.
...
- full activity of the mind and senses, as in waking life
Awareness carries mostly the same meaning, but has broader connotations:
the state or condition of being aware; having knowledge; consciousness
Consciousness in particular is associated with self-awareness, which may be narrower than you want. In that case, awareness (or one of the other answers here) might fit better.