The Cricket Dilemma

As the world moves towards more sustainable food sources including insects, a dilemma arises. A dilemma that forces us to review how we see, treat and value life.

The Cricket Dilemma argues that one of the following statements must be true:

• A) Each life is of equal, absolute value, namely 0.
• B) Each life is of equal, absolute value, namely 1.
• C) The value of each individual life is subjective and therefore open to discussion, interpretation and personal bias.

Neither of these statements offers a palatable perspective. Each one comes with major downsides and impacts on how we see life. However, one of them must be true.

In this article, we will first establish an understanding of the three different statements and explain the reasoning behind them. We will then move on to look into the argumentation as to why one of them must be true. Finally, we’ll dive into each one of them, and explore their upsides and, more notably, their downsides and far-reaching implications.

Illustrations by the author — texture by Annie Spratt

Introduction

The search for sources of sustainable food as an alternative to the livestock industry as we know it is peaking. Much progress is being made…