Do you think its wrong to step on bugs - why or why not?

[Augustine]

As far as we know, insects aren't sentient, so I can't see a moral reason why it'd be wrong to kill one. Personally though, I think bugs are pretty cool and so I won't set out to kill one unless it's something like a mosquito which intends to make me it's next meal.

Non-sentience absolving one from moral responsibility seems like a rationalization of those who wish to see themselves moral, yet know they need to kill to survive.No offence.

So out of interest, do you feel moral responsibility to your laptop, or to a rock? Life is just a system of self-replicating molecules, without the 'ghost in the machine', i.e. sentience, there's no reason in my eyes to be moral to a non-sentient life-form. A jellyfish doesn't care whether it lives or dies, because it isn't capable of caring about anything at-all, so why should I care?

Though, for the record, I don't object to the killing of sentient non-human animals either, as long as they don't suffer too much in the process of dying.

I embrace this: in order to live you must devour lives of other living things. Plants, jellyfish, insects, bovines - all are equal, in my mind at least. Anything less, attempts to pick and choose, I see as various forms of coping with this reality of life.

 

[JoJo]

As far as we know, insects aren't sentient, so I can't see a moral reason why it'd be wrong to kill one. Personally though, I think bugs are pretty cool and so I won't set out to kill one unless it's something like a mosquito which intends to make me it's next meal.

Non-sentience absolving one from moral responsibility seems like a rationalization of those who wish to see themselves moral, yet know they need to kill to survive.No offence.

So out of interest, do you feel moral responsibility to your laptop, or to a rock? Life is just a system of self-replicating molecules, without the 'ghost in the machine', i.e. sentience, there's no reason in my eyes to be moral to a non-sentient life-form. A jellyfish doesn't care whether it lives or dies, because it isn't capable of caring about anything at-all, so why should I care?

Though, for the record, I don't object to the killing of sentient non-human animals either, as long as they don't suffer too much in the process of dying.

I embrace this: in order to live you must devour lives of other living things. Plants, jellyfish, insects, bovines - all are equal, in my mind at least. Anything less, attempts to pick and choose, I see as various forms of coping with this reality of life.

And humans? If you aren't picking and choosing between organisms, no reason to leave Homo sapiens off the menu

Arguably, treating a brainless jellyfish and a sentient pig as if they are equal is itself an attempt to cope with the reality of life, by justifying that you have to eat to live and so it doesn't matter what you eat. This line of thinking clearly doesn't make sense, for example lets say you are driving a train carrying hundreds of people. You find to your horror that on your present track there are five people trapped with no way to get out in time, and on the only alternative track you can take, one person is trapped. There is no time to stop and clearly choosing to steer your train off the tracks and killing hundreds is not an option. You must take someone's life to live but surely the moral choice is to choose the option that causes least harm: i.e. the track with just one person trapped? Does that make sense?

 

[Augustine]

And humans? If you aren't picking and choosing between organisms, no reason to leave Homo sapiens off the menu

Arguably, treating a brainless jellyfish and a sentient pig as if they are equal is itself an attempt to cope with the reality of life, by justifying that you have to eat to live and so it doesn't matter what you eat. This line of thinking clearly doesn't make sense, for example lets say you are driving a train carrying hundreds of people. You find to your horror that on your present track there are five people trapped with no way to get out in time, and on the only alternative track you can take, one person is trapped. There is no time to stop and clearly choosing to steer your train off the tracks and killing hundreds is not an option. You must take someone's life to live but surely the moral choice is to choose the option that causes least harm: i.e. the track with just one person trapped? Does that make sense?

We, as modern men, live in an incredibly privileged state, but when people find themselves under prolonged starvation this taboo will seem more and more flexible with each passing day. I need not testify for this - history does that better than I ever could.

Seeing all living things as one whole collective comes first - sentience is an imaginary line drawn to divide these living things, and is deeply secondary. Sentient beings, in effect, are given preferential treatment. And what a surprise that is, that we, humans, who created this divide, place ourselves squarely in this "superior" group. How fortuitous indeed! Strictly speaking,we should not be allowed to judge ourselves to be sentient, and thus reap benefits from it, for we have vested interest in saying so. Personally, I think that flesh-eating bacteria should have the honor of deciding who is OK to eat and who is not.

In your example, you've created a set of specific circumstances that guide me to a particular choice(though, if I were to take a truly purest ultramoralist stance, I would go for "none of the above" answer and absolve myself of choice by just flipping a coin, thus avoiding staining my hands entirely - I do delight in sophistry).
In every situation in the actual world it would have a set of circumstances that would affect my choices. So, situation when it TRULY doesn't matter what you eat, is a purely hypothetical construct and does not really exist in the real world. In the confines of the mind one ought to do whatever he/she pleases, question is how it all manifests itself - real world is the only place where this matters. In practical terms, there are always swaths of various circumstances that dictate this choice.
Having said that...
Principle is inviolable; it's manifestation is flexible due to considerations of practicality.

Also, my view of treating all things the as equal is more simple and streamlined, which is a mark of elegance. Elegance is beautiful. And I am nothing, if not a disciple of the Beautiful. :3

 

[jakeyjakey]

Killing something then laughing at it then insulting someone who says killing is wrong, you sir are sick. .-.

I don't believe in killing spiders, they're our friends and kill mosquitoes and flies.

Overreact much? Sick? They're just bugs.

 

[jakeyjakey]

I don't kill bugs unless it's necessary. Any bug that attacks me or fucks with me repeated however has signed their own death warrant.
I typically like to save benign insects when I can, I find them to be amazing little critters so it can only help to spread a positive message to the rest of the universe and spare them from a crushing death.

Hah, but giving them a crushing death is funny. People might say I treat lifeforms badly if they are less significant than me, but is that wrong? Compared to a spider, I'm a giant.

 

[jpoon]

I don't kill bugs unless it's necessary. Any bug that attacks me or fucks with me repeated however has signed their own death warrant.
I typically like to save benign insects when I can, I find them to be amazing little critters so it can only help to spread a positive message to the rest of the universe and spare them from a crushing death.

Hah, but giving them a crushing death is funny. People might say I treat lifeforms badly if they are less significant than me, but is that wrong? Compared to a spider, I'm a giant.

Karmically yes, if you are sending this negativity out you may attract negativity back to yourself. While you may not believe in this, I certainly do. Being a giant compared to an infinite universe is a bit silly, as "giant" as you are you are cosmically the stature of a sub-atomic particle. Particle Man!

 

[Auron225]

Ugh... I immediately think less of those who do. If it's a threat then fine. I can look past it if it's being especially annoying (a fly repeatedly buzzing near your ear, etc). But just killing anything that happens to walk by for the sole sake of killing is what I'd consider mild sadism.

I consider this quote appropriate;

?You can easily judge the character of a man by how he treats those who can do nothing for him.? ~ Malcolm S. Forbes.

 

[game-lover]

No. I don't it's wrong.

I don't think it's right. I think it just is. Most bugs creep me out and make me lose my mind. So if it comes near me, it dies.

But that's not for all bugs. Butterflies and lady bugs and stuff are generally let alone.

 

[default]

Man, is this topic still going?

No, it's not really all that wrong in my opinion, but show some dignity, empathy and restraint as a fucking living creature.

If they are annoying you or a danger then it's perfectly fine, but to lift up your boot and smirk at it with your friend as it writhes and wiggles pathetically in pain?

You're a fucking cock, mate. Grow up.

 

[2012 Wont Happen]

Bugs don't have brains, only a system of nerves. They are essentially tiny organic robots, with no self-awareness or thought, which act entirely on genetic programming. Another thing that lacking a brain means is a lack of pain processing. The bug's nerves are, in a way, aware when it is in danger, but it is just at an instinctual level. Bugs lack the capacity to actually feel pain. Seeing as bugs operate only on instinct and don't feel pain, it seems unlikely any moral status should be put on them. That being the case, I don't care what people do to them. I would feel uncomfortable if someone was torturing a bug in front of me or something like that, but only because their instinctual response looks like a painful response, which they cannot in fact experience. While creepy, I doubt even that would be immoral.

 

[Olas]

I don't usually have a problem with killing them, I guess it comes down to 3 factors:

1. How big (and presumably intelligent) is it?

2. How scary/dangerous is it?

3. How easy would it be to capture and release it?

I wouldn't wish death on any creature unnecessarily, but I'd have to apply a cost/benefit analysis to it somewhat otherwise I'd spend all day trying to manage insects.

As far as we know, insects aren't sentient.

Now how could anyone POSSIBLY know that.

 

[Johnny Novgorod]

I don't kill bugs unless it's necessary. Any bug that attacks me or fucks with me repeated however has signed their own death warrant.
I typically like to save benign insects when I can, I find them to be amazing little critters so it can only help to spread a positive message to the rest of the universe and spare them from a crushing death.

Hah, but giving them a crushing death is funny. People might say I treat lifeforms badly if they are less significant than me, but is that wrong? Compared to a spider, I'm a giant.

The problem is there's no such thing as "less significant lifeforms", Jake. All life is precious.

 

[Johnny Novgorod]

As far as we know, insects aren't sentient, so I can't see a moral reason why it'd be wrong to kill one.

Extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence, as the man put it.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pain_in_invertebrates

 

[Vault101]

no..but I don't particularly like it

there's something about watching a living creature flail around as it tries to survive while you nuke it with bug spray that makes me....uncomfortable I often feel guilty after killing spiders

even the big mother fuckers

and I definitely don't condone it unless you have a reason

but there was this one time Martin (my spider friend) brought his girlfriend home with him and they mated with Martin dying in the act. I was really angry at her, but she just said "your too late, it's all ogre" and gave birth to a bunch of little spiders and died. I had to abort the little guys. I'm sorry, Spider God. I truly am.
.

that's so fucking rude....

not only having sex in someone else's house but giving birth there too...way to overstay you're welcome. I think a little family of spiders movies into my room but they all died

If they're inside my house, yes.

If I'm outside, usually not. Unless they're harassing me..

[I/]heeeyyy! hey! yo hairless ape! hairless ape you got some pollen? hey! where u runnin primate huh? where you runnin too? I ask if you got some pollen! fucking big ole top the foochain ape scared of us?? cmon ape! show us your evolutionary superiority! I'm talkin to you ape boy! you think I don't sting? ***** I'll sting youre ass so hard you won't be sitting down till youre 80 yeah that's right fly away- oh wait! you can't fly! my bad man[/I]

 

[jakeyjakey]

Man, is this topic still going?

No, it's not really all that wrong in my opinion, but show some dignity, empathy and restraint as a fucking living creature.

If they are annoying you or a danger then it's perfectly fine, but to lift up your boot and smirk at it with your friend as it writhes and wiggles pathetically in pain?

You're a fucking cock, mate. Grow up.

It's not wrong at all, but I'm a fucking cock for doing it? Doesn't make sense.

Wasn't smirking at it for being in pain.. just thought it was funny how it got stuck to my foot. That's the life of a spider, though. Don't crawl next to a giant sneaker unless you're looking for me to crush you under it. Seems hard to imagine not perceiving that a huge, unnatural white rubber thing is dangerous.

The problem is there's no such thing as "less significant lifeforms", Jake. All life is precious.

I really have trouble considering a gnat or an ant to being as significant as me.

 

[BathorysGraveland2]

jakey, no one is saying it's wrong to kill an insect if there is a reason for it (for example, if it's in your house or on your person) but to kill one for simply walking by you, with no threat... that is borderline sadist. to kill sometihng for no other reason than pleasure.. that is the issue people have.

 

[jakeyjakey]

I get that, but I don't see why killing them on purpose is a big deal. Compared to them, I'm a giant.. would anyone berate godzilla about the tiny humans he incidentally steps on?