I wonder how RobbBB, and other vegans, feel about lions on the Serengeti. When they kill gazelles, is that morally wrong? Obviously, they aren’t going to be dissuaded by your blog posts, but in a utilitarian framework, I would think that suffering caused by lions’ carnivorous tastes is just as “bad” as that caused by humans. Should we put all carnivores in zoos and feed them meat substitutes? Or should lions be free to hunt, regardless of the suffering it may cause the gazelle, because that’s their nature?
People who approach veganism from utilitarian ideas would group this question in with a bunch of others under wild animal suffering. The general idea is that suffering is just as bad whether human caused or natural, though it’s often hard to figure out what actions most reduce suffering (for example, if we killed all the predators there would be lots more prey animals, but if they tend to have lives that are on average worse than not living at all then this would be a bad thing.)
(for example, if we killed all the predators there would be lots more prey animals, but if they tend to have lives that are on average worse than not living at all then this would be a bad thing.)
Wouldn’t that logic lead you to killing all predators or all prey depending on the answer to the question of whether the prey has lives not worth living? If “no”, kill prey, if “yes”, kill predators. In any case you’re committed to a lot of killing.
I wonder how RobbBB, and other vegans, feel about lions on the Serengeti. When they kill gazelles, is that morally wrong? Obviously, they aren’t going to be dissuaded by your blog posts, but in a utilitarian framework, I would think that suffering caused by lions’ carnivorous tastes is just as “bad” as that caused by humans. Should we put all carnivores in zoos and feed them meat substitutes? Or should lions be free to hunt, regardless of the suffering it may cause the gazelle, because that’s their nature?
People who approach veganism from utilitarian ideas would group this question in with a bunch of others under wild animal suffering. The general idea is that suffering is just as bad whether human caused or natural, though it’s often hard to figure out what actions most reduce suffering (for example, if we killed all the predators there would be lots more prey animals, but if they tend to have lives that are on average worse than not living at all then this would be a bad thing.)
Wouldn’t that logic lead you to killing all predators or all prey depending on the answer to the question of whether the prey has lives not worth living? If “no”, kill prey, if “yes”, kill predators. In any case you’re committed to a lot of killing.