4 ms·
> We know that arthropods can meaningfully feel pain We don't know that. They're capable of detecting and avoiding harmful stimuli, but that doesn't mean they
by smt88 1y ago
> We know that arthropods can meaningfully feel pain
We don't know that. They're capable of detecting and avoiding harmful stimuli, but that doesn't mean they have the subjective experience of pain.
This research also seems quite tame compared to the trillions or quadrillions of insects we torture to death using pesticides when growing our food or protecting our homes.
- hydrogen7800 1y ago>They're capable of detecting and avoiding harmful stimuli, but that doesn't mean they have the subjective experience of pain. This reminds me of "Consider the Lobster" by David Foster Wallace. I remember being pretty convinced by his argument that lobsters do indeed feel pain when boiled alive, which was interesting because, as I recall, he argued with simple logic rather than using any biological basis. It may have been as simple as avoiding harm = experiencing pain. I suppose this does not necessarily follow. I'll have to read it again some time.