I made some plant-based rissoles the other day and added 20g of cricket powder to the recipe for added protein, B12, zinc and magnesium. That 20g probably represents about 40 crickets. A vegan said to me, but that's not vegan. I asked why not and the answer was, because an insect is an animal.
But, I countered, we don't know that insects are sentient, or at least, that the sentience they may have is complex enough to make it worth us worrying about.
My interlocutor argued that we ought not make assumptions about other animals. After all, she argued, we might best apply the precautionary principle in this regard. In any case, veganism doesn't need to go to into that sort of detail, the fact is that vegans do not eat other animals.
This struck me as a little odd. After all, growing crops requires the deaths of many insects so why would eating insects be a worse act? Sure, this is a topic done to death and I believe the problem is routinely claimed to represent an unavoidable harm. We cannot be perfect. But I wondered what one should do if it became clear that eating some crickets in one's diet would likely result in fewer insects harmed and killed.
What do you think?
But, I countered, we don't know that insects are sentient, or at least, that the sentience they may have is complex enough to make it worth us worrying about.
My interlocutor argued that we ought not make assumptions about other animals. After all, she argued, we might best apply the precautionary principle in this regard. In any case, veganism doesn't need to go to into that sort of detail, the fact is that vegans do not eat other animals.
This struck me as a little odd. After all, growing crops requires the deaths of many insects so why would eating insects be a worse act? Sure, this is a topic done to death and I believe the problem is routinely claimed to represent an unavoidable harm. We cannot be perfect. But I wondered what one should do if it became clear that eating some crickets in one's diet would likely result in fewer insects harmed and killed.
What do you think?