Texas State University’s Bob Fischer, an associate professor in the Department of Philosophy, joins the Big Ideas TXST podcast to discuss the ethics of insect sentience.  

The debate over animal sentience has persisted for centuries. Broadly speaking, it’s generally accepted that mammals, reptiles, birds and fish have degrees of sentience—that is, they are conscious and can feel both pleasure and pain. But what about insects? Fischer explains that mounting evidence indicates that at least some insects exhibit behavior attributable to pleasure and pain responses. If so, then what are the ethical implications for the billions of interactions between humans and insects every day?  

 

Fischer earned his Ph.D. in philosophy from the University of Illinois-Chicago in 2011. He is a senior research manager for Rethink Priorities and the director of the Society for the Study of Ethics and Animals.