What do you think the inner conscious experience of an isopod like?
Humans are conscious of their surroundings, plan ahead, have feelings, emotions, and complex interpersonal relationships. Dogs and cats surely have feelings and thoughts, but are definitely lower on the “consciousness scale” than humans. As the animal gets smaller, the average human sees it as “less alive” or “less valuable” of a life. The average human sees bugs lives as not valuable at all.
Owning an isopod colony makes me wonder. Watching them wander around their environment, interact with other pods, breed, eat, and rest, has made me wonder about what their inner experience is like. Do they have friends? Enemies? Favorite spots to chill? Do they have memories the same way we do? Do they remember their life in the wild before I picked them up to live in a plastic tub in my room? Do they miss their friends that are now miles and miles away?
Humans are conscious of their surroundings, plan ahead, have feelings, emotions, and complex interpersonal relationships. Dogs and cats surely have feelings and thoughts, but are definitely lower on the “consciousness scale” than humans. As the animal gets smaller, the average human sees it as “less alive” or “less valuable” of a life. The average human sees bugs lives as not valuable at all.
Owning an isopod colony makes me wonder. Watching them wander around their environment, interact with other pods, breed, eat, and rest, has made me wonder about what their inner experience is like. Do they have friends? Enemies? Favorite spots to chill? Do they have memories the same way we do? Do they remember their life in the wild before I picked them up to live in a plastic tub in my room? Do they miss their friends that are now miles and miles away?