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Originally Posted by SmokeyTheBear
so we think, many bugs have been around longer than humans , cows, pigs or deer , maybe they are smarter than we think.
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This line of argument is resorting to metaphysical BS that I don't have a lot of patience for. I don't believe in souls, or that the sum of a thing is more than it's parts. We are organic machines, and the question of superior intelligence of a pig vs a locust, or a human vs a cow, is not controversial among neurologists.
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Originally Posted by SmokeyTheBear
then by raising animals to eat we are actually giving them a moment of life they would never have experienced if there weren't meat eaters raising them.
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Now that at least is debatable. I'll answer by posing a similar moral question; would it be ethical for us to raise humans specifically to harvest spare body parts? Afterall, without this program, they would never have been born in the first place. At least they get to enjoy some life first, right? If you do not agree with this proposal, why not? The answer, as I said originally, is empathy. You are extending empathy to those you relate to. I just relate enough to other intelligent lifeforms to extend my empathy to them also. I do not see them as very different from myself.
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Originally Posted by After Shock Media
Will drop another serious question to non meat eaters or vegetarians, mostly those that do it for ethical reasons foremost - yet anyone can chime in.
Why do you all not consume insects as a primary protein group? Diet wise they are a near perfect food source. Many other cultures eat them with no problems or stigma. They are very easy on the Earth resource wise. Give a great deal of energy out as opposed to what it takes to raise them. They often are a bane to many other food crops. Then naturally they are not highly up on the ethical issues either, aside from perhaps taking a life but at that level it is almost equal to the life of a plant and are often killed for the sake of plants.
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I'd support replacing our beef-industry with a bug-industry if that was the bargain. Properly processed, they'd probably come up with some tasty products. It's not purely ethical (What is?), but it would be a big improvement, better for the environment, and cheaper too. I propose we should eat only the least sentient life available, starting with plants and working up from there only as far as we must. If you can't commit to being a full vegetarian, give up pork first, because they are almost as smart as dogs and kindergarteners. You wouldn't eat a child, would you? Then give up venison and beef, then chicken, then fish, in that order. If you don't make it all the way down the list, at least you're eating dumber lifeforms than before. As we've established, perfect isn't possible, but it's not an all-or-nothing dilemma.
And again, for any vegetarians or vegi-curious, go try some
Quorn. My wife has served her curry "chicken" to people and they couldn't tell the difference. (but she is an amazing chef) It will do until scientists develop Meat-Trees.