Philosophy Discussion Forums

ThomasHobbes wrote: ↑August 15th, 2018, 9:04 am

Greta wrote: ↑August 14th, 2018, 9:16 pm
Cockies are just one of millions of beetle species,

That is a complete insult to beetles.
Beetles are not even the same ORDER!!
Beetles are nice.

Yes, I stuffed that one up!

But roaches are nice too in their way. Some people keep them as pets. They don't bite, poison or sting, they don't give you malaria or Ross River fever and they don't suck your blood.

I recently visited a world where insects were the size of humans in our world and the mammals there were the size of our insects. They have an internet in their world too but arachnids are the dominant species there so naturally they refer to as the worldwide web.

While visiting there I was amused to see a thread in a forum there entitled, "Do you think squashing bipeds is right or wrong?" And the respondents expressed sentiments similar to those presented in this thread. Most, however, agreed that it would be no great loss if the bipeds became extinct because they spread diseases and didn't seem to to fulfill any useful purpose... they didn't even pollinate plants so what good were they?!

At any rate, when I awoke I was very glad that I was a human dreaming that I was an insect in that world rather than the reverse, an insect dreaming I was a human in our world, because it's always better to wake up from a nightmare than to wake up in one.

I wouldn't want to be an insect either. Everyone wants to kill you or take your stuff, and often death comes while having their insides sucked out. A very tough gig.

Greta wrote: ↑August 15th, 2018, 5:05 pm

ThomasHobbes wrote: ↑August 15th, 2018, 9:04 am

That is a complete insult to beetles.
Beetles are not even the same ORDER!!
Beetles are nice.

Yes, I stuffed that one up!

But roaches are nice too in their way. Some people keep them as pets. They don't bite, poison or sting, they don't give you malaria or Ross River fever and they don't suck your blood.

If you ever get the chance to read this, do!
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Fat-Freddys-Ca ... 0861660439

Fat Freddy, Phineas and Franklin leave the cat in the apartment whilst they are away for some time. Rival polities of cockroaches move in from other apartments to take up the slack and the cat is the only thing that stands between the warring factions and utter domination of Fat Freddy's place.
It's the best Furry Freak story.

Felix wrote: ↑August 16th, 2018, 1:39 am I recently visited a world where insects were the size of humans in our world and the mammals there were the size of our insects. They have an internet in their world too but arachnids are the dominant species there so naturally they refer to as the worldwide web.

While visiting there I was amused to see a thread in a forum there entitled, "Do you think squashing bipeds is right or wrong?" And the respondents expressed sentiments similar to those presented in this thread. Most, however, agreed that it would be no great loss if the bipeds became extinct because they spread diseases and didn't seem to to fulfill any useful purpose... they didn't even pollinate plants so what good were they?!

Sadly due the the laws of physics, insects the size of humans would be incapable of standing up.
So your world could not exist.

Sadly due to the laws of physics, insects the size of humans would be incapable of standing up.

The laws of physics would not prevent it, but gravity could. Therefore I must presume that the gravitational field is much weaker on the insectoids' planet.

When the biologist J B S Haldane was asked what could be inferred about the mind of the Creator from the works of His Creation, he's said to have replied: "An inordinate fondness for the Beatles.". Maybe that's why John Lennon said they were bigger than Jesus.

Steve, I'm guessing he spelled that word with two e's (beetles) - unless of course God is a music LP collector.

But hey, it's hard not to admire such lovely creatures, a few of my personal toppermost of the poppermost can be seen here:
http://museum.unl.edu/research/entomolo ... index.html

If there's any sign that God loves doof doof music I would be forced to become a Satanist.

My understanding is that insects were quite massive back in the dinosaurs' day due to the increased oxygen in the air. Note an ideal time - dinos, giant insects and constant huge wildfires. Not sure of the exact reasoning (and couldn't be bothered Googling ATM) Animals with exoskeletons absorb oxygen but it relates to the limitations of how one can absorb oxygen with an exoskeleton and the difficulty of getting the oxygen all the way around a very large body.

I, like Greta, feel that ants in the house are bullying (unconsciously), and since these "bullies" don't understand English, they've stepped into "no-ant's-land" and are fair targets. When it comes to killing creatures, over whom we have dominion, it's best not to feel any animosity etc. coz that's 'harmful intent' which brings a karmic backlash from our conscience causing us to feel bad; I felt this karmic effect after murdering a nest of wasps under a stairway years ago, one at a time with a newspaper as they flew out; the karmic sick feeling was, I believe, because I had "declared war" on the wasps. If we can eliminate pests dispassionately or indirectly without insecticides, that would seem ideal. Even thinking of doing this to our own kind is, of course....

ThomasHobbes wrote: ↑August 14th, 2018, 6:57 am Stepping on a bug is neither right or wrong until you have a context.
If you have no practical reason it is wrong.
I recently killed 3 large hornets which had entered my sleeping space. I'd been told that they are usually harmless, but would not have slept easily with them in the room.
It seems an uninterrupted sleep is more important to me that the lives of three hornets.
Were hornets endangered as a species I would have taken more steps to evict them rather than kill them.
Killing for pleasure has no credibility and rather distasteful.

Well, I step on bugs because I think it's funny. I'd guess that reason isn't practical but I don't see why it isn't a valid reason.

Also, "evicting" invading bugs seems pointless. Flattening provides the same effect and takes way less effort and thought.

Thrylix wrote: ↑August 26th, 2018, 10:55 am

ThomasHobbes wrote: ↑August 14th, 2018, 6:57 am Stepping on a bug is neither right or wrong until you have a context.
If you have no practical reason it is wrong.
I recently killed 3 large hornets which had entered my sleeping space. I'd been told that they are usually harmless, but would not have slept easily with them in the room.
It seems an uninterrupted sleep is more important to me that the lives of three hornets.
Were hornets endangered as a species I would have taken more steps to evict them rather than kill them.
Killing for pleasure has no credibility and rather distasteful.

Well, I step on bugs because I think it's funny. I'd guess that reason isn't practical but I don't see why it isn't a valid reason.

Well you might get some amusement from killing bugs but you'd have to accept that many people would just think you are an ****.

PS.
"****" = A R S E.

Popular topic - & it’s been going on for years!

As a child, my friend and I played with ants - made “ant homes.” I also was surrounded by various types of animals and reptiles. So of course I’m biased & try not to kill bugs when I can softly move it outside etc. But when I must kill, I find myself saying, “Sorry” and wondering which life is next for that little soul & wishing it well. I’m just serious.

Thrylix wrote: ↑August 26th, 2018, 10:55 am Well, I step on bugs because I think it's funny.

Well you are obviously easily amused, my dog also seems to enjoy chasing bugs....flies to be exact.
There are two quotes that come to mind, which sums up the intelligence of adults who kill things for entertainment.

simple minds, presumably, are the easiest to manage

And

There is no confusion like the confusion of a simple mind