Animal Consciousness and Meat

[Phaedrus]

If it was (somehow) scientifically demonstrated tomorrow that all, or at least most, animals were conscious, including major human food sources such as cows, chickens, turkeys, and pigs... Would you give up meat?


I must confess, I am torn. On the one hand, ethics. On the other hand, a tender, juicy prime rib cooked rare with just a bit of seasoning and some horseradish on the side...

As an intermediate choice in this scenario, would you eat non-conscious lab-grown meat, even if it were of inferior quality and tastiness to actual animal meat?

Your thoughts?

[Aseptic Skeptic]

Nope. I wouldn't give up meat.

Evolution put us all where we are. The fact that they evolved consciousness wouldn't change that fact. In nature, might makes right. We evolved as omnivores eating these same animals who simultaneously evolved consciousness; no reason for that omnivoracity to change now.

But I suspect the number of vegans would multiply exponentially. There's already a surprisingly large number of people who won't eat meat specifically because they see it as cruelty to animals - I'm certain many, many more people would jump on board if they thought these animals were sentient. Price of meat would go up as demand fell. If enough people got on board to influence lawmakers, meat might even become illegal. If it became legally or economically unfeasible to continue eating meat, then I'd stop. Against my will.

As for eating lab-grown meat, sure, I'd do that. I would do that today if it were commercially available and affordable. Come to think of it, I probably AM doing that any time I buy a Big Mac...

[nach_in]

I'm pretty sure they are concious in some way so I'd keep eating them. If they develop human-like intelligence then I'd stop. Because eating them would be murder, the bad kind of murder

[Free Thought]

I operate under the assumption that most creatures (well most mammals at least) have some sort of intellect and we simply cannot communicate between species in a manner that would demonstrate their emotional or linguistic capacity effectively...

Point being: No, I'll keep eating my chicken 'N my beef.

[Vera]

So, we should only feel bad for eating creatures that are self-aware? I think the problem with eating meat is killing another living being, capable of experiencing pain (and often keeping them in extremely cruel conditions and subjecting them to a treatment very nearly approaching torture).

This being said, I'm not a vegetarian. Don't eat meat too often, but I do.

[Vosur]

Why would it matter whether or not they are conscious?

I have absolutely no problem eating meat, although I don't do it all that often.

With that said, I have a hard time understanding those who choose to go for a purely vegetarian or vegan diet solely for ethical reasons. It's silly to me, especially the latter one.

[Dom]

I would continue to eat meat also.

BUT - now AND then - how we raise and slaughter our meat is atrocious! It's disgusting and speaks of the lack of empathy by humanity as a whole. I can get quite worked up on this topic.

So, IMO, eating meat is fine, but for god's sake ( ) respect the animal giving it's life so you can have a juicy steak. Let it live a decent life and die a decent death for crying out loud!

[Peterkin]

It's not the killing - it's the hurting.
Beyond that, it's the effect of too much meat on human development, health and behaviour; plus the effect of blood-cult on culture. It's the desensitizing of the human, who says: I have a right to be vicious: my ancestors succeeded because they were more vicious than anybody else* and I'm so proud of that ascendency that I'll keep doing it, even if there is an easy, accessible humane alternative.
(Not even considering the possibility that those ancestors succeeded despite their viciousness, because they were more co-operative, adaptable and innovative than their rivals.)

All animals are sentient, and there are already a number of other protein sources.
Animal food production on the scale of today's increasingly demanding human population is unsustainable, even over the next generation. I'm not aware of the economic tenet that falling demand raises prices, but the outlawing of beef in the not-too-distant future is probable. At that time, the adamant anti-moral carnivores will almost certainly resort to cannibalism (if they haven't already begun). Where that leads will be an interesting study.

[frankiej]

As long as they don't learn to speak our languages, then I would continue to eat meat... I don't want to hear some big sob story right before I stick a pig.

[Chas]

(07-12-2012 02:16 PM)Peterkin Wrote:  All animals are sentient, and there are already a number of other protein sources.

What do you mean by 'all animals'?
What do you mean by 'sentient'?