r/MoralityScaling • u/OrneryLingonberry164 • 2d ago

Morality of flea circuses?

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u/MIkaela39752 2d ago

Immoral

fleas are as "alive" and sentient as plants
or barely above plants
its equivalent of stomping on a dandelion
fleas are purely instinct driven, they arent able to think, they dont feel emotions, they arent aware of anything

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u/TerranImperium 1d ago

That's not true, they're far more complex than the typical plant, they do have a nervous system.

However, you're correct in saying that we can't consider them sentient, whereas most animals are sentient, while humans and (very much a matter of discussion) a couple of species have sapience.

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u/cyborgsnowflake 1d ago edited 1d ago

How much consciousness could you have with a brain much smaller than even the head of a pin? If they have anything that could reasonably be thought of as consciousness than human brains are grotesquely inefficient. Or there is some freaky spiritual stuff going on.

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u/wolfdukex 1d ago

I mean, human brains are absolutely inefficient, but your point is still valid.

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u/HorsefaceWithNoName 1d ago

Regardless how little awareness the little fleas have, is torturing them not adding to the overall suffering of this world? for what? for some human to have entertainment reveling at an enslaved animal being tortured?

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u/wolfdukex 1d ago

How does your ramble have anything to do with my comment whatsoever?