Playing God to Crickets

Ethical Queries Surrounding the Agricultural Sector

I have recently started working at a cricket farm, specifically taking responsibility of the breeding room. This is only one component of the business, and quite arguably, the most crucial step to creating a product to satisfy consumer demand. My responsibilities consist of providing fresh food, water, and nests for the crickets to thrive and lay eggs in – while also setting up the eggs to hatch a week later.

After having worked in the breeding room for a little over a month, I have found myself thinking about the moral dilemmas that arise in the agricultural sector (both crops and livestock), specifically, within the cricket industry. When I am cleaning the bins, there are live crickets who are clumped into the waste and put through a processor at the end of each shift. Any excess egg mixture is thrown out at the end of each shift, and thousands of crickets die every day after having reached their maximum breeding capacity.

It dawns on me, this is life and energy that is not utilized through the standard routine of an agricultural business. Yet, as this is considered “part of the job”, it is not given a second thought. I find this to be a moral and ethical dilemma, as if this were the case in perhaps, a puppy mill, there would be an outcry if unsold puppies were slaughtered. A prominent question then arises - why do we place more value in the life of some non-human beings compared to others? In comparing a cricket farm to a puppy mill, the difference of value that society tends to place in the two situations respectively is made quite obvious.

I suppose there are several roots to this notion - cultural values, personal values, and personal experience with non-human beings. However, if we momentarily place societal and personal determinants aside, and approach this issue from a perspective of consciousness and souls – this dilemma can be addressed in a different light.

We must ask ourselves, what criteria are necessary for a being to have a soul?

According to Richard Swinburne's "Soul Theory", each of us is an individual soul or self - a purely mental substance whose only essential property is the capacity for consciousness, and whose identity is independent both of the body to which it is attached and of the contingent experiences and other mental states and events that make up our actual conscious lives. Each of us recognizes this unique individual in our own case simply as "I". As Swinburne explains, "We know who we are."

Naturally, it follows that we face a limitation in the perception of the mechanism of "I" that occurs internally within non-human beings, whether animals, insects, reptiles, birds, etc. How can we possibly determine if another being has a soul, especially given the fact that we will never have the same conscious experience as they will? It is impossible for us to have the same conscious experience as a cricket, or a dog because our bodies are created to function differently. However, what are the basic criteria for a being to have a soul? Is there some sort of underlying genetic function that has yet to be scientifically observed and documented? Or does it lay in emotional, conscious, or physical capabilities? Does the ability to nurture, work with others, to make independent decisions warrant the presence of a soul? Does the ability to have conscious control of one’s body warrant claim of a soul? The cycle of life is present for all beings, whether human or not. There is a force outside of our control that dictates the course of life, and the nature of energy and consciousness. This is something we ought to remember when utilizing other beings for consumer demands.

Do humans have the authority to manipulate energy and life to meet their demands? Is it okay for us to take advantage of some beings, and not others, on the basis that their lives are of a certain sphere of value? Where ought the line be drawn, if any, on which beings are morally permissible to control? If a line is drawn, how can we ensure that this process is as ethically efficient as possible?