I've been watching this thread with great interest and wanted to see how it played out before adding my 2 cents.
First, I'm a vegan which is:
"A philosophy and way of living which seeks to exclude—as far as is possible and practicable—all forms of exploitation of, and cruelty to, animals for food, clothing or any other purpose; and by extension, promotes the development and use of animal-free alternatives for the benefit of animals, humans and the environment. In dietary terms it denotes the practice of dispensing with all products derived wholly or partly from animals."
What is a vegan and vegan food? What does veganism mean?
www.vegansociety.com
Although I applaud the OP for writing the essay and posting it here, I don't think "setting a good example" is hitting the nail on the head. Insects are not here for our use. As Alice Walker wrote: "The animals of the world exist for their own reasons. They were not made for humans any more than black people were made for white, or women created for men."
For those who have posted rhetorical questions such as "do you mow your lawn?" which I assume means that insects are killed while mowing (or driving or walking, etc.) and therefore we might as well kill them intentionally for photography; you are ignoring intent. Nearly every moral philosophical system ever devised by man has acknowledged this. For example, if you and I are walking down the street and see a homeless person and you give them $1 because you want to help them and I give them $1 because I want you to think I'm generous, there is a difference. Is there something similar? Of course, the homeless person gets a dollar either way; maybe to him/her it doesn't matter why. But there is also something different. Many things different. Your view of yourself is different if you know you gave the dollar only to impress your friend. Whether you do it next week when you're alone is different. The look on your face when you hand over the dollar is different, and the effect on the recipient is different (it is not outside the realm of possibility that a dollar given without eye contact, in shadowed disgust is used for crack, whereas a dollar given with a smile and sincere "good luck my friend" is used for a spot of soup). This is the difference between mowing your lawn (with the intention of beautification) and intentionally killing a bug for an Instagram post. You can't live without doing some harm somewhere, but doing it intentionally is different. Intentions matter. If your spouse misses your anniversary dinner because they were in a car accident or because they just forgot, there is a difference. You had to sit there alone either way (the homeless person got their dollar either way, the bug is dead either way), but there is a difference that can bloom into a weeping desperate clinging to each other versus filing for divorce.
For those who gladly kill insects they find in their homes, there is another way. Carefully collect them on a piece of paper or under a glass and escort them outside. You'll never see them again. At the same time you are learning and perhaps teaching others about the beauty and importance of all life. This generalizes from insects to birds to reptiles to mammals to other humans. The same goes for blowing mosquitos off your arm rather than killing them, opening windows for flies to exit, and swerving to miss birds or deer on the highway.
For those who suggested that showing the beauty of an animal to others is worth the price of that one animal's life; this is the same justification used for zoos. It is possible that some others may be swayed to be more appreciative and kind to animals by seeing them in zoos, but that is not a moral justification for killing and there are surely more direct and compassionate ways to communicate the importance of life to others without snuffing it out. Citing examples of how killing an innocent human might benefit society would probably get me banned and on the FBI watch list, but I'm sure you can think of some.
For those who would never dream of killing a bird or rabbit for photography but do so with insects without qualm, I wonder where you draw the line? Is the value of a life dependent on intelligence? (humans with low intelligence presumably are worth less than those of high intelligence then?). Is the value of a life dependent on how similar they are to us? (primates worth more than dogs?). Is the value of a life dependent on how much a species seems to enjoy our company? (dogs worth more than gorillas? dogs worth more than humans who don't like us?). Stop asking these questions. All animals are valuable, and we don't have a moral right to intentionally kill any animal for pleasure be it for photography, to eat, for entertainment, or to wear.
From my own person experience, I can tell you that as I've come to terms with these beliefs my enjoyment and appreciation of all animals, including ugly bugs, has increased, and my photography of them has improved. I'm not sure it's possible to take a truly beautiful and meaningful picture of an animal if you have no appreciation for their life. You might as well be photographing a rock if that is how you think of them, and I think your photography will reflect that.
I certainly realize that I'm putting myself at the far end of the continuum here with my thoughts. The other pole would be the "screw it, I don't care about anyone or anything but myself" folks (none of them here I'm sure, sincerely). I think it is worth thinking about where you are on this continuum. I also realize that it is virtually impossible to espouse vegan beliefs without sounding preachy and condescending, and I apologize for that. I am still a hypocrite in 100 ways, worse than most or all of you, it is just that this is one way in which I've decided not to be and I'm sharing rather than hiding this belief.
I'll just close by noting that in addition to the moral perspective on killing animals, being vegan is also so much better for your health and so much better for the environment. If you want to live until you are 100 and leave a sustainable world for future generations, check it out! And even if that is not appealing, one could still stop killing insects for photographic purposes.
Thanks for reading if you got this far.
John
The question is not, "Can they reason?" nor, "Can they talk?" but rather, "Can they suffer?"
~Jeremy Bentham
The assumption that animals are without rights and the illusion that our treatment of them has no moral significance is a positively outrageous example of Western crudity and barbarity. Universal compassion is the only guarantee of morality.
~Schopenhauer
Lisa: "Do we have any food that wasn't brutally slaughtered?"
Homer: "Well, I think the veal died of loneliness."
~Matt Groening, The Simpsons
Why should man expect his prayer for mercy to be heard by What is above him when he shows no mercy to what is under him?
~Pierre Troubetzkoy
The squirrel that you kill in jest, dies in earnest.
~Henry David Thoreau
We know we cannot be kind to animals until we stop exploiting them -- exploiting animals in the name of science, exploiting animals in the name of sport, exploiting animals in the name of fashion, and yes, exploiting animals in the name of food.
~César Chávez
Dominion does not mean domination. We hold dominion over animals only because of our powerful and ubiquitous intellect. Not because we are morally superior. Not because we have a "right" to exploit those who cannot defend themselves. Let us use our brain to move toward compassion and away from cruelty, to feel empathy rather than cold indifference, to feel animals' pain in our hearts.
~Marc Bekoff
From beasts we scorn as soulless, In forest, field and den, The cry goes up to witness The soullessness of men.
~M. Frida Hartley
