Hello, I've literally just signed up for an account because this was so interesting. I loved reading it.
For context, I am non-religious, generally physical substance monist. From this perspective, there is no moral difference between a human, chicken, apple, or rock. So my question comes back to what is the actual difference between eating a chicken or an apple. I wouldn't eat a rock because it's not something I can digest and gain much nutrients from.
The difference of "pain" does not seem to do it for me honestly. It's simply a different electrical signal in the brain. I say all this of course wanting to cause little pain to my fellow humans and even the animals I interact with. I think this is because evolutionarily I would be outcasting myself from society by doing so and it's better to have fellow humans and animals like you and want to work with you.
However when it comes to factory farming, even in terrible circumstances, I don't find myself convinced that it's bad. The animals there are only helpful to you because of the nutrients they end up providing.
Obviously, the electrical signals encoded in our brain don't actually dictate what the right "morals" are because morals are something we made up. But this is the system I seems to believe in. It also seems the system that many others follow as many have been told how bad conditions in factory farms are and not stopped eating meat.
I'm very curious your perspective on wether "life" actually matters if it has no benefit to ourselves. Why would we evolutionarily care about an animal we raise primarily for the purpose and killing and eating?
Hello, I've literally just signed up for an account because this was so interesting. I loved reading it.
For context, I am non-religious, generally physical substance monist. From this perspective, there is no moral difference between a human, chicken, apple, or rock. So my question comes back to what is the actual difference between eating a chicken or an apple. I wouldn't eat a rock because it's not something I can digest and gain much nutrients from.
The difference of "pain" does not seem to do it for me honestly. It's simply a different electrical signal in the brain. I say all this of course wanting to cause little pain to my fellow humans and even the animals I interact with. I think this is because evolutionarily I would be outcasting myself from society by doing so and it's better to have fellow humans and animals like you and want to work with you.
However when it comes to factory farming, even in terrible circumstances, I don't find myself convinced that it's bad. The animals there are only helpful to you because of the nutrients they end up providing.
Obviously, the electrical signals encoded in our brain don't actually dictate what the right "morals" are because morals are something we made up. But this is the system I seems to believe in. It also seems the system that many others follow as many have been told how bad conditions in factory farms are and not stopped eating meat.
I'm very curious your perspective on wether "life" actually matters if it has no benefit to ourselves. Why would we evolutionarily care about an animal we raise primarily for the purpose and killing and eating?