Why do we choose to add humans but not bugs?
By Zeren @ 2025-08-17T22:58 (+18)
With the following assumptions, if we aim for increasing total utility, why would we still choose to design a future with many humans instead of many many bugs?
- Sentient animals’ well-being matters. (Even with fewer utility.)
- At least one kind of bug is sentient.
- Well-being in animals can be positive.
- It will be possible in the future to create and sustain an artificial environment through a dedicated AI, where bugs will thrive, especially considering that future bugs may be digital beings.
- Humans or similarly complex intelligent beings are immensely more prone to pain than bug-like beings.
Alexander Herwix 🔸 @ 2025-08-18T08:15 (+6)
I love this question and I am looking forward to see what hedonic utilitarians come up with here. This has similar vibes to computronium thought experiments but better. Thanks for pointing this question out to me :)
NickLaing @ 2025-08-18T03:18 (+6)
To keep it really simple from my perspective only
- Because I don't aim for total increasing utility. Other things matter besides pleasure and pain.
- Because I think the probability that bugs feel pain in a meaningful way is so low that it constitutes a pascalls mugging