Number of a species existing isn’t an additional terminal value to me on top of aggregated experiences (except maybe for very small numbers), and it seems pretty likely that the average animal life on a factory farm isn’t worth living.
How many people would’ve guessed that there are ~twice more horses in Europe as of a few years ago than in 1900? Or that current US horse population is ~30% of its historical peak?
I think vat meat would take long enough to catch on that the decline in the meat animal population could be accounted for by slowing the breeding rate.
Regardless, the current population of livestock accounts for a tiny share of the total over time so what happens to the animals currently alive is less important than the long-term effects of a change in people’s diets.
Here’s an ethical issue: what happens to all the cows, pigs, chickens, etc? (Consider what happened to the horses.)
Number of a species existing isn’t an additional terminal value to me on top of aggregated experiences (except maybe for very small numbers), and it seems pretty likely that the average animal life on a factory farm isn’t worth living.
Why, what happened to the horses? We still have horses.
Now think how many horses there were in 1900.
Hint: at roughly the same time, canned dog food was invented.
I found this page really interesting: http://answers.google.com/answers/threadview?id=144565
How many people would’ve guessed that there are ~twice more horses in Europe as of a few years ago than in 1900? Or that current US horse population is ~30% of its historical peak?
I think vat meat would take long enough to catch on that the decline in the meat animal population could be accounted for by slowing the breeding rate.
I agree, that is a possibility.
Regardless, the current population of livestock accounts for a tiny share of the total over time so what happens to the animals currently alive is less important than the long-term effects of a change in people’s diets.