David Kay at Harbus:
One doesn’t need a philosophy degree to recognize that the way we think about animals is, at best, deeply inconsistent. Consider the following: many Americans love dogs and cats and shudder at the notion of any harm befalling their furry companions. We reserve furious disdain for those who abuse them, to the point where all fifty states distribute felonies for cruelty against dogs and cats. For most, the notion of torturing and killing a dog to eat him or her is beyond the pale.
And yet, humans tolerate the intolerable when it comes to farm animals merely because we have decided some species are less worthy of moral consideration than others. In a society that could send someone to jail for cutting off a dog’s testicles without painkillers, it’s not only legal, but also standard industry practice to castrate piglets without any pain relief whatsoever.
More here.
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