“Caring about Bugs Isn’t Weird” by Bob Fischer

“Caring about Bugs Isn’t Weird” by Bob Fischer

I’ve spoken with hundreds of entomologists at conferences the world over. While there's clearly some self-selection (not everyone wants to talk to a philosopher), my experience is consistent: most think it's reasonable to care about the welfare of insects. Entomologists don’t regard it as the last stop on the crazy train; they don’t worry they’re getting mugged; they don’t think the idea is just utilitarianism run amok. Instead, they see some concern for welfare as stemming from a common-sense commitment to being humane in our dealings with animals.

Let's be clear: they embrace “some concern,” not “bugs have rights.” Entomologists generally believe it's important to do invasive studies on insects, to manage their populations, to kill them to document their diversity. But given the choice between an aversive and a non-aversive way of euthanizing insects, most prefer the latter. Given the choice between killing fewer insects and more, most prefer fewer. They don’t want to end good lives unnecessarily; they don’t want to cause gratuitous suffering.

It wasn’t always this way. But the science of sentience is evolving; attitudes are evolving too. These people work with insects every day; they constantly face choices about how to catch insects, how [...]

---

First published:
November 23rd, 2025

Source:
https://forum.effectivealtruism.org/posts/4FncrGhQKcuFthxiR/caring-about-bugs-isn-t-weird

---

Narrated by TYPE III AUDIO.

Det här avsnittet är hämtat från ett öppet RSS-flöde och publiceras inte av Podme. Det kan innehålla reklam.

Avsnitt(250)

“Moral Imagination & Effective Altruism” by Toby_Ord

“Moral Imagination & Effective Altruism” by Toby_Ord

Michael Nielsen has a beautiful new essay on moral imagination: the ability humans have to 'develop and transmit new notions of good action, indeed, even new kinds of good'. As examples, he gives: Ha...

28 Aug 11min

“What if the third wave is a puddle?” by Morgan Fairless

“What if the third wave is a puddle?” by Morgan Fairless

The world of private philanthropy may be in for a period of large growth. News of Coefficient Giving increasing their funding for GiveWell to one billion in the near-term, and the general growth of th...

18 Aug 9min

“What would make us scale or stop? NOVAH’s pre-commitment before seeing the RCT results” by I.J.J., AlexisAt

“What would make us scale or stop? NOVAH’s pre-commitment before seeing the RCT results” by I.J.J., AlexisAt

TL;DR NOVAH (No Violence At Home) was incubated by Charity Entrepreneurship (now Ambitious Impact) in 2024 to test a promising idea: preventing intimate partner violence through edutainment, in our ca...

17 Aug 15min

“General capability - and capabilities generally - have no good y-axis” by Gregory Lewis🔸

“General capability - and capabilities generally - have no good y-axis” by Gregory Lewis🔸

BLUF: To determine whether AI is ‘improving exponentially’, ‘hitting the wall’, or any other claim which involves a quantity or magnitude (e.g. ‘This model was a big leap/small increment’). We need a...

8 Aug 1h 7min

“Never born, then maybe died twice” by NickLaing

“Never born, then maybe died twice” by NickLaing

“Your balls are baked aren’t they, mate”. He would not have been bornThanks Lyndon, that describes the situation. Like almost 1 in 10 modern men, my sperm weren’t up to the task - at least not the old...

1 Aug 10min

“Announcing: Cluelessness Critiques Competition” by Toby Tremlett🔹, Will Aldred

“Announcing: Cluelessness Critiques Competition” by Toby Tremlett🔹, Will Aldred

TL;DR We’re hosting an essay competition to elicit responses to Anthony DiGiovanni's sequence, ‘The challenge of unawareness for impartial altruist action guidance’—submit your entries by August 14th...

30 Juli 13min

“Spiro: an update 2.5 years on and a fundraising ask for expansion” by Habiba Banu

“Spiro: an update 2.5 years on and a fundraising ask for expansion” by Habiba Banu

Summary Back in November 2023 I posted here to launch Spiro and raise our first 198 thousand dollars. Two and a half years later this is an update and a fundraiser for the next step. The short version...

26 Juli 17min

“Let’s taboo the V-word” by lincolnq

“Let’s taboo the V-word” by lincolnq

“How long have you been v*g*n?” This is one of the most common icebreakers at animal protection events. It's a baseline assumption, and it mostly holds true: if you’re out advocating for animals not t...

14 Juli 12min

Populärt inom Samhälle & Kultur

podme-dokumentar
gynning-berg
aftonbladet-krim
p3-dokumentar
en-mork-historia
svenska-fall
creepypodden-med-jack-werner
hor-har
killradet
flashback-forever
rss-schyffert-sundin-ar-det-har-nat
aftonbladet-daily
kod-katastrof
vad-blir-det-for-mord
rss-nemo-moter-en-van
rss-vill-du-veta-en-hemlis-2
rss-mer-an-bara-morsa
p3-dystopia
rss-brottsutredarna
p1-dokumentar