I watched a documentary yesterday, The Cove, about a massacre of dolphins that was happenning in Taiji. Even though their method of killing was absurdly horrific, i wondered myself if it would still be wrong to eat dolphin meat if they were killed more humanly.
After a bit research i found out they are the 2nd most intelligent animals, more intelligent than chimps, that they have a primitive form of culture, are sentient, self conscious, among other shows of high intelligence that no animal besides the human has, and should be considered non-human persons, having the right of not being encarcerated, or killed by humans for food or entertainment.
Then after a bit more web surfing, i saw a question that put me thinking: so if we don’t eat intelligent animals, what is it that makes us eat stupid animals, and why don’t they have the same rights? Also when does that distinction occur, that is, when do we consider an animal intelligent enough not to be eaten?
That’s hilarious. And pretty much right on the mark, too.
I don’t think it’s a matter of direct correlation to level of intelligence, but at some threshold of intelligence or connectedness (in the case of pets), we feel bad about killing the animal. Whether it’s right or wrong is a subjective matter, depending on the particular moral code you adhere to.
But if I was a subsistence farmer in some dirt-poor African country, I’m sure I wouldn’t have any qualms about eating a nice McChimp sandwich.
I was just pondering this yesterday about Octopus. Very, very intelligent creatures. Pigs are also quite intelligent. As a long-time meat eater it does put me in a quandry. My niece has given up all meat just because of this issue. I think I will blissfuly ignore it for as long as I can.
However, I beleive that the convergance of unsustainability of producing meat animals (i.e. higher cost) coupled with burgeoning animal rights will considerably shrink the market for meat in the next 100 years to the luxury that it should be.
If hungry enough I would eat a dolphin, a dog, or a chimp. If hungry enough I would eat you. Sorry.
But, I also feel most Westerners eat to much meat, which doesn’t apply at all to the Taiji dolphin harvest. From what little I have directly observed, Japanese people do not expend a lot of sympathy on food. Different backgrounds, different cultures, different values of “right” and “wrong.” Humanity is complicated that way.
De gustibus non disputatum.
Has it been settled that intelligent animals are not to be eaten? I often see people make that assertion, but they never seem to back it up. We don’t eat animals because they lack intelligence; we eat them because they are food. If I were to get lost on a safari and eaten by lions, we certainly shouldn’t consider the lions to be immoral; I’m food to them, regardless of the fact that I’m much more intelligent than their normal diet.
Besides, dolphins are evil; or at least they would be if held to the moral standards of full-fledged people.
I think the growing affluence in the non-Western world will grow the market for meat waaaaaaay more than it will shrink because of the things you mention.
I remember someone in a diner telling me that pigs had personality or something. Cant remember well, it had been a shitty day, and seconds later, there was a stick up in progress. Long day.
People have pigs and goats as pets, and you can certainly “bond” with them. Hell, I know people who bond with their chickens. And let’s not forget about the cultures that eat dog. They may not eat their own “pet”, preferring to buy anonymous meat from the grocer.
If you were to compile a list of reasons why killing may be considered immoral, you’d find almost all the reasons apply only to sentient beings.
What we’re left with for most animals is mostly just the physical pain we may cause the victim. And in a farm situation we can kill the animal quite quickly.
As we get to some of the more advanced animals some of the other considerations start to creep in though. There is some (disputed) footage of chimps grieving for example.
As far as I know, pigs are less intelligent than dolphins and apes, so it doesn’t seem hypocritical that they are more widely eaten. Are there any studies on pig vs. dog intelligence?
