I really enjoyed this post. No assumptions are made about the moral value of insects, but rather the author just points out just how little we ever thought about it in the first place. Given that, as a species, we already tend to ignore a lot of atrocities that form a part of our daily lives, if it WERE true, beyond a reasonable doubt, that washing our sheets killed thousands of sentient creatures, I still can’t imagine we’d put in a significant effort to find an alternative. (And it certainly wouldn’t be socially acceptable to have stinky sheets!)
I think it would be healthy to cultivate genuine curiosity and caring about these things, rather than ridicule people who depart from social norms. If insects do deserve moral weight, I’d like to be the sort of person who, and a part of a community that, would notice and take that seriously.
I really enjoyed this post. No assumptions are made about the moral value of insects, but rather the author just points out just how little we ever thought about it in the first place. Given that, as a species, we already tend to ignore a lot of atrocities that form a part of our daily lives, if it WERE true, beyond a reasonable doubt, that washing our sheets killed thousands of sentient creatures, I still can’t imagine we’d put in a significant effort to find an alternative. (And it certainly wouldn’t be socially acceptable to have stinky sheets!) I think it would be healthy to cultivate genuine curiosity and caring about these things, rather than ridicule people who depart from social norms. If insects do deserve moral weight, I’d like to be the sort of person who, and a part of a community that, would notice and take that seriously.