The behavioural cue of ‘flexible self-protection’ is a way to establish whether an animal feels pain, scientists say
Crickets that received the hot probe “overwhelmingly” directed their attention to the affected antenna – they groomed it more frequently, and tended to it over a longer period of time, he says. “They weren’t just agitated and flustered. They were directing their attention to the actual antennae that was hit with this hot probe.”
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?