# Is there any real moral difference between killing & eating a pig & a dolphin? **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [November 7, 2005, 11:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-real-moral-difference-between-killing-eating-a-pig-a-dolphin/329976 "2005-11-07T23:11:42Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 5\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2005, 9:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-real-moral-difference-between-killing-eating-a-pig-a-dolphin/329976/81 "2005-11-10T21:01:48Z")
**hildea** Funny thing about your “rogue nations” quote. Sounds like it could apply to the US on Glabal Warming. 😉 Of Course I think it would be great if the \*\*World \*\* smacked down whaling nations. Smacked down the US for Global Warming. Smacked down China for its treatment of Humans. Smacked down the Saudi for its treatment of Women. Smacked down etc, I think you get the idea. Jim ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2005, 12:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-real-moral-difference-between-killing-eating-a-pig-a-dolphin/329976/82 "2005-11-11T00:13:25Z")
Heck, any mammal dumb enough to blow all his money on instant-lottery tickets deserves to be eaten. ---
**Author:** ![BluePitbull](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e9bcb4/32.png) [@BluePitbull](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BluePitbull)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2005, 12:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-real-moral-difference-between-killing-eating-a-pig-a-dolphin/329976/83 "2005-11-11T12:12:42Z")
> [@hildea](#): > > I also see killing of beings that have close-to-human intelligence as morally problematic. I wouldn’t eat chimpanzee meat. If dolphins are as intelligent as pigs, they are dumb enough to be eaten for me. But again, if in doubt, it seems better not to eat. It’s not as if there’s any shortage of other sources of food. So you have no problem eating dogs then. Seems like pigs are smarter then them. ---
**Author:** ![Fridgemagnet](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/22d042/32.png) [@Fridgemagnet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fridgemagnet)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2005, 1:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-real-moral-difference-between-killing-eating-a-pig-a-dolphin/329976/84 "2005-11-11T13:15:45Z")
> [@MGibson](#): > > On that hypothetical scale of yours where does the morally acceptablity of eating animals end and exploitation begin? Dunno; I’m vegetarian, so not a call I have to make. But I do think the minimum standards for farmed animals should be higher than it is. It would make meat more expensive, if a little tastier, but that’s a good thing. Meat should be a luxury foodstuff, not a staple. ---
**Author:** ![hildea](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/ebca7d/32.png) [@hildea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hildea)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2005, 4:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-real-moral-difference-between-killing-eating-a-pig-a-dolphin/329976/85 "2005-11-11T16:21:36Z")
> [@BluePitbull](#): > > So you have no problem eating dogs then. Seems like pigs are smarter then them. I’ve never eaten dog meat, but I don’t think I’d have any problems doing so (with the possible exception of blue pitbulls, as I’ve heard rumours they might be sentient 🙂 ). As long as we’re talking about eating charismatic animals: When I got the opportunity to taste [lynx](http://tau.uab.es/associacions/avafes/imagenes/Eurasian%20Lynx-.jpg), I definitively went for it. (We only got a small slice each. It had a sharp, strong taste – not unpleasant, but probably not something I’d wanted to eat a lot of.) [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-real-moral-difference-between-killing-eating-a-pig-a-dolphin/329976.md?page=4)