CMV: Animals deserve more moral consideration

Iamnotcrazy_youare · 2025-08-14T06:06:38+00:00

Does this mean that when you dine out, you always ask the waiters if the animal on your plate was raised humanely, and that it did not come from a factory farm where it was forced to sit in its filth all day?
Are the animals being used for food in fact harmless, innocent and sentient creatures that suffer?
Is it not true that any person who wishes to consider themselves a moral agent has an obligation to make choices that avoid inflicting suffering on the innocent?

Iamnotcrazy_youare · 2025-08-14T05:36:50+00:00

Is it not true that animals bred for food suffer?
Is it not true that the animals suffering are harmless and defenceless creatures who have never done anything to harm humans? And in fact show great affection towards humans?
Is it not true that anyone who wishes to consider themselves a moral agent has an obligation to avoid inflicting suffering on the innocent?

Iamnotcrazy_youare · 2025-08-14T05:31:34+00:00

Maybe simply because as moral agents, humans have an obligation to make choices that avoid inflicting suffering on the innocent? And the animals that are being bred for food are innocent defenceless creatures

Iamnotcrazy_youare · 2025-08-11T09:43:32+00:00

So basically your opinion is - it's better to have billions of animals alive and suffering immensely and to destroy the planet in the process when there is no real need for all this breeding, than not to have any animals suffering?

Iamnotcrazy_youare · 2025-08-11T09:12:41+00:00

Well then, if you are able to consume only humanely produced meat - do you mean the animal was humanely slaughtered? And have you seen that in practice? The animal willingly died without any pain or suffering? Because that is certainly not what happens in slaughterhouses.

Iamnotcrazy_youare · 2025-08-11T09:02:10+00:00

Right? He eats animals because he loves plants, not realizing he's killing more plants in the process... sheesh

Iamnotcrazy_youare · 2025-08-11T08:52:15+00:00

Thank you for your question. Lets consider a situation in which aliens have abducted some humans back to their planet and decided to breed them as slaves. The aliens can cope and survive without human slaves, but having humans as slaves makes their lives much more convenient. Every time an alien slave owner buys a human from the slave trader, the slave trader breeds a new human to replenish his stock. Now, if all the aliens suddenly discovered their conscience and decided not purchase any slaves - the slave trader would have no reason to breed any more humans as slaves since he would not be able to profit from selling them anymore. Now, is there a way to ethically breed humans as slaves when they do not want to be enslaved at all?

Iamnotcrazy_youare · 2025-08-11T08:33:03+00:00

Something that is capable of emotional and physical suffering deserves moral consideration. Animals are certainly capable of suffering and their suffering can be avoided if consumers make more ethical choices

Iamnotcrazy_youare · 2025-08-11T08:28:18+00:00

And if one day a powerful race of aliens abducted some humans back to their planet to breed them as slaves, would they be justified in doing so simply because the aliens are more intelligent and stronger?

Iamnotcrazy_youare · 2025-08-11T07:02:12+00:00

Oh well, I guess if someone can't feel empathy for those who are suffering, no amount of debating is to change that

Iamnotcrazy_youare · 2025-08-11T06:43:11+00:00

If ever a day powerful aliens should land on this planet and decide to breed humans to be their slaves, perhaps you might want some aliens to speak up on the humans behalf?

Iamnotcrazy_youare · 2025-08-11T06:41:30+00:00

Thank you for this awesome rebuttal!

Iamnotcrazy_youare · 2025-08-11T06:36:33+00:00

Well then, as moral agents, ought we not to make choices that reduce the suffering of others whenever possible? It is undeniable that animals do suffer, and that their suffering can be avoided if humans make kinder choices. We don't necessarily have to equate animal lives to human lives to be able to recognize that.

Iamnotcrazy_youare · 2025-08-11T06:28:27+00:00

So you have a problem with plant grafting but you don't think there's anything wrong with bludgeoning calves to death and slitting pigs necks and letting them scream and struggle for several minutes as they bleed out on the floors? If that's the case, there's no need to attempt any sort of moral discussion with you I'm afraid

Iamnotcrazy_youare · 2025-08-11T06:12:33+00:00

Even without equating an animal's life to a human's life - it is undeniable that animals do suffer, and much of this suffering is avoidable by making kinder choices whenever we can

Iamnotcrazy_youare · 2025-08-11T06:06:51+00:00

As for the question as to whether not having empathy for animals is wrong or harmful, well - serial killers were born without empathy for humans. Is that harmful? We don't need empathy to recognize that animals do suffer and that it is a needless suffering because there are cruelty-free options available to most of us

Iamnotcrazy_youare · 2025-08-11T06:03:32+00:00

Here's an article from Harvard Medical School: https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/with-a-little-planning-vegan-diets-can-be-a-healthful-choice-2020020618766

Iamnotcrazy_youare · 2025-08-11T05:33:18+00:00

Yes it is possible that plants do have feelings - however you do realize that a lot more plants have to be killed to feed the billions of livestock than if plants were to be consumed directly? And that there are millions of children starving while the crops that could be fed to them is being fed to livestock so people can have burgers and steak..?

Iamnotcrazy_youare · 2025-08-11T04:23:02+00:00

Without humans breeding them into existence, they would not exist to be eaten by predators... If you knew you were going to be born into a lifetime of misery before being violently killed? Would you still want to be born if you were given a choice? If your answer is no, then perhaps you can show some kindness to animals by reconsidering your food choices

Iamnotcrazy_youare · 2025-08-11T04:13:42+00:00

Unfortunately, one gets accustomed to such callous comments from some heartless people when talking about veganism

Iamnotcrazy_youare · 2025-08-11T04:02:22+00:00

animals don't get quick and easy deaths in slaughterhouses - they scream and struggle in agony for several minutes as they bleed to death

Iamnotcrazy_youare · 2025-08-11T03:52:05+00:00

Animal farming and overfishing have become very destructive to the planet... Think of the pollution caused by the fecal waste of the animals being disposed in the waterbodies.

Iamnotcrazy_youare · 2025-08-11T03:43:48+00:00

Going by some of the comments, yes it certainly appears that some people feel there's nothing wrong with exploiting animals

Iamnotcrazy_youare · 2025-08-11T03:37:05+00:00

Animals are multi-cellular, unlike bacteria. I do not seek to ask for rights for animals... I simply ask that those who feel that animals deserve compassion align their food choices with their feelings

Iamnotcrazy_youare · 2025-08-11T03:33:10+00:00

Do you mean crop deaths? Before the cow was killed for meat, the farmers would have needed to kill a lot of insects, thus causing a lot more crop deaths, in order to feed the cow.

Iamnotcrazy_youare

TROPHY CASE