Even conscious ants wouldn't change how we treat them—and the same may hold for AI
dioscuri · x · 2026-10-05
A debate on AI consciousness borrows from animal ethics: even if science proved ants are conscious, it would be economically and socially untenable to treat ant-killers as murderers. The reply agrees with the crux but adds a nuance—if ants turned out to be vastly more intelligent, with complex cultures, languages, and mourning of the dead, that alone might unsettle people enough to change how they treat them. The exchange highlights how moral status is constrained as much by practical reality as by philosophy, mirroring current debates over when AI deserves moral consideration.
Related event: AI Consciousness Ethics Mirrors Animal Consciousness Dilemma(2 posts)→
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