this post was submitted on 14 May 2026
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I really don't get the idea that people don't think animals or bugs feel pain or distress.
Like if it's got a nervous system I'm sure it has some concept of pain.
Many insects don't have a nervous system. Also, some plants respond to physical damage (albeit very differently than an animal) and they don't have nervous systems, either.
It would also be possible to build a machine that can detect damage to itself and program it for self preservation, but that doesn't intrinsically mean it would feel pain.
What insect doesn't have a nervous system?