# Is it more ethical to eat larger animals? **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [October 3, 2011, 3:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-more-ethical-to-eat-larger-animals/598439 "2011-10-03T15:39:45Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Mijin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mijin/32/9369_2.png) [@Mijin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mijin)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2011, 10:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-more-ethical-to-eat-larger-animals/598439/41 "2011-10-04T22:13:58Z")
The reason I engaged with you **ModernPrimate** , was because I was wondering whether people who hold the “the world would be better without humans” line, have arguments to support that position. Whether they’d even thought it through and were being at least logically consistent. I think I have my answer. ---
**Author:** ![What\_i\_think](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/94ad74/32.png) [@What\_i\_think](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_i_think)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2011, 5:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-more-ethical-to-eat-larger-animals/598439/42 "2011-10-05T17:23:47Z")
> [@Mijin](#): > > Just think of all the poor bacteria dying when you eat live yoghurt or innocent fungi in blue cheese… > Every mouthful is essentially genocide. this is my point every one always talk about the poor animals that get killed when we eat them and how they are not here to be our food (technically true) but anyone who as ever cut and onion know it dose not wish to be eaten and since our wasted dose not end up on a field we are kill hundreds of unborn strawberry plans with our morning breakfasts, and if you just want to talk animal life how many animal died when the field was plowed and where hit by that big rig that brought the food to market unless we learn to get food strait from the sun death will always be the result of our food ---
**Author:** ![heavyarms553](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/779978/32.png) [@heavyarms553](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/heavyarms553)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2011, 12:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-more-ethical-to-eat-larger-animals/598439/43 "2011-10-14T12:44:24Z")
Obligatory SMDB comic: > **[Saturday Morning Breakfast Cereal - Grandfather Paradox](https://www.smbc-comics.com/index.php?db=comics&id=2393)** > > Saturday Morning Breakfast Cereal - Grandfather Paradox ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2011, 1:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-more-ethical-to-eat-larger-animals/598439/44 "2011-10-14T13:17:18Z")
> [@What\_i\_think](#): > > this is my point every one always talk about the poor animals that get killed when we eat them and how they are not here to be our food (technically true) but anyone who as ever cut and onion know it dose not wish to be eaten and since our wasted dose not end up on a field we are kill hundreds of unborn strawberry plans with our morning breakfasts, and if you just want to talk animal life how many animal died when the field was plowed and where hit by that big rig that brought the food to market unless we learn to get food strait from the sun death will always be the result of our food Well, yes, but nobody imagines that onions or strawberries experience any kind of suffering, which is a significant part of the whole issue. An onion doesn’t want to be eaten, because an onion doesn’t _want_ anything - at least not in the very meaningful sense that an animal capable of cognition wants things. ---
**Author:** ![Grendel\_s\_Father](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/b782af/32.png) [@Grendel\_s\_Father](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grendel_s_Father)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2011, 2:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-more-ethical-to-eat-larger-animals/598439/45 "2011-10-14T14:04:06Z")
> [@ModernPrimate](#): > > As I stated, 99.9%+ of the time there is any struggle in nature is when humans have been involved. Other times the animals are living in bliss. Wow. Ever watched a nature documentary not produced by Disney? Is the baby antelope getting eaten alive by lions feeling bliss? Are the animals in[this video](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LU8DDYz68kM) having fun, you think? Yes, animals often have enough food, except when they don’t and they starve to death because of drought, overpopulation, competition with other animals for the same food source, etc. And animals generally ARE food for other animals. Whether or not animals perceive this as “bliss” depends on the animal and whether or not it is even capable of feeling any emotion at all. ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2011, 7:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-more-ethical-to-eat-larger-animals/598439/46 "2011-10-14T19:15:24Z")
**ModernPrimate** , I can’t help wondering if you’re talking about ‘struggle’ in some sense other than the strife and toil of individual organisms, because it just doesn’t make sense in a plain reading. The life of most animals is fraught with struggle to find food, shelte, to secure a mate, to protect offspring and avoid being eaten. Most animals lives end when they grow a little infirm and lose their competitive edge and succumb to starvation, disease or predation, and their predators are not especially merciful. ---
**Author:** ![njtt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ecd19e/32.png) [@njtt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/njtt)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2011, 9:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-more-ethical-to-eat-larger-animals/598439/47 "2011-10-15T21:11:54Z")
There are a lot more cells in a cow or a whale than in a shrimp. They are all alive. Whatever type meat you eat you are going to need to consume roughly the same number of cells to get equivalent nutrition. You (OP) seem to be assuming both that all individual living things have the same value, and that it is straightforward to determine what counts as an individual living thing. Neither is warranted. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-more-ethical-to-eat-larger-animals/598439.md?page=2)