Do Insects Possess Consciousness? | Texas Pest Control Experts
Do Insects Possess Consciousness?
The question of whether or not tiny-brained animals, such as insects, experience subjective views of the world has been a philosophical topic since Aristotle, and probably before. Could it be that insects are more like us than we thought? When we swat a fly are we robbing a nice fly-family of their mother? Can they experience emotional trauma?
Well we should not go that far, but insects do possess complicated neural structures that allow them to create their very own view of the world. This neural network is located in the forebrain, and despite the many dissimilarities between the mammalian brain and the insect brain, the forebrain of both species are remarkably similar.
What does this mean? Well entomologist now think that perhaps the earliest forms of consciousness first appeared in arthropods, which are the 500 million year old ancestors of modern insects. In other words we owe our feeling of consciousness to bugs. Now maybe you will think twice before swatting that annoying housefly.
Do you think insects are conscious in a way similar to humans? How does that make you feel now when you think about squashing an ant or cockroach?
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