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The Stone

The Enigma of Animal SufferingBy RHYS SOUTHAN

August 10, 2014 7:15 pm

The Stone is a forum for contemporary philosophers and otherthinkers on issues both timely and timeless.

Oneofthemostprovocativetacticsusedbyopponentsofanimalexploitationistodrawananalogybetweenhumanandanimalsuffering.MarjorieSpiegelsTheDreadedComparison:HumanandAnimalSlaveryfindsparallelsbetweenwhiteoppressionofAfricanslavesinAmericaandhumanexploitationofnonhumans.Spiegelassertsthatlikehumanslaves,nonhumananimalsaresubjectedtobranding,restraints,beatings,auctions,theseparationofoffspringfromtheirparentsandforcedvoyages.

CharlesPattersonsEternalTreblinka:OurTreatmentofAnimalsandtheHolocaustminesanotherhumantragedyforcomparisonstoanimalhusbandry.TheeternalofthetitlehintsatonedifferencebetweentheNazisattemptederadicationofEuropesJewsandtheraisingofanimalsforfoodthelatterisanongoingcycleofbreedingandkillingandnotahatefueledexterminationcampaignbut

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genocideandanimalfarmingcanbothinvolveobjectificationandefficientmasskilling.

Someanimalrightsactivistsalsocomparedairyproductionwithsexualassault,becausecowsareoftenartificiallyinseminatedtogetthempregnantandcontinuouslylactating.

Suchanalogiesareshocking.Butaretheysound?

Ourperceptionoftheexternal,ofdisturbingimagesorscenes,issometimesaprojectionofourownfeelingsasobservers;itdoesnotmatchwhatthesubjectsofsuchtreatmentactuallyexperience.Animalslaughter,forinstance,looksgoryanddisturbing,butwhentheanimalsareknockedinsensiblefirst,thediscomfortisourownnottheirs.

Forhumananalogiestoanimalfarmingtohaveforce,theexperienceofbeingafarmedanimalshouldbeequivalenttothehumanexperienceinsuperficiallysimilarcircumstances.Isitsafetoassumethatacowraisedforfoodsuffersthesamegeneralhumiliations,agoniesandfrustrateddriveforfreedomthatahumanslaveorvictimofsexualassaultorgenocidedoes?Ifnot,argumentsequatinganimalsufferingtohumansufferingarelogicallyflawed.

Animalactiviststacitlyadmitthatinternalperceptionisessentialwhentheytalkabouttheimportanceofsentience.Wedominateandslaughterplants,butfewpeoplecarebecauseitisassumedthatourplantvictimsdontperceiveanyofit.Wearenottypicallychallengedtoimagineourselvesasindustriallyraisedstalksofcorn,withourrootsstuckunderground,neverabletositorliedown,peckedatbycrowsandbrutallyharvested.Withthephysicalattributesandcognitiveabilitiesofahuman,thatwouldbetorture,butwequitereasonablyassumethatitsnotsobadforstiff,brainlessstalksofcorn.

Itsnottheexploitationinitselfthatsobjectionable,then,butthattheexploitationisexperiencedasharmful.This,however,raisesthe

8/11/2014 The Enigma of Animal Suffering - NYTimes.com

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possibilitythatthedominationandcontrolofanimalswouldbeacceptableifwecoulddoitwithouttheirmindingitverymuch.Istherereasontobelievethisisso?

Yes,ifweacceptthefollowingthreepremises:

1.Eventhoughanimalsfeelphysicalandemotionalpain,itispossibletoraisethemforfoodandkillthemwithoutcausingthemanymoresufferingthanwhatwemightexpectawelloffhumantoexperience.

2.Pigs,cows,chickens,lambs,goatsandotherfarmedanimalsdonthavethecommunicationskillsoraccesstoinformationtofigureoutthatthepurposeoftheirlives,fromthepointofviewofhumans,istousethemasfood.

3.Tohavelivedahappybutbrieflifeisnoworsethantohaveneverlivedatall.

Thefirstpremisemightseemhardtoaccept,giventhebrutalrealitiesofmodernanimalfarming.Mostfarmanimalsareraisedonintensivefactoryfarmswheretheysufferforthemajorityoftheirshortlives.Evensmall,highwelfarefarmstendtosubjecttheiranimalstoatleastsomepainfulprocedureslikecastrationwithoutanesthetic,dehorningortheseparationofmothersandtheirnewbornchildren.

Yetultrahighwelfareanimalproductsareapossibility,notafantasy.Considerthehighestlevelofthe5StepanimalwelfareratingprogramatWholeFoodsMarket.Forbeef,thisprohibitsbranding,castration,earnotching,separatingmothersfromcalvesforearlyweaningandlongtripstotheslaughterhouse.Forpigs,thisensurestheyareneverseparatedfromtheirlittermates,whichisimportantbecauseofhowsocialpigsare.Forchickens,itmeanstheyhaveplentyofspaceanddonthavetoendurephysicalalterationslikedebeaking.

Almostnofarmsmeetthesestandards,butifmoreofuswerewillingtocompromiseontheprice,taste,quantityandtextureofthe

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meatweeat,morefarmslikethiscouldexistandthrive.

Advancesintechnologyandbreedingcouldalsoimprovewelfare.Selectivebreedingofcowswholactatefortwoormoreyearsaftergivingbirth,apracticecalledperennialdairying,couldreducethenumberoftimesadairycowneedstogetpregnanttoproducemilk.Painlessslaughterisalreadyfeasiblewhendonecarefullyandwouldbecomeeasierifwewereraisingfarfeweranimalsforfoodanddidntrushthousandsthroughasingleslaughterhouseinaday.

Ifwetreatanimalswellthroughouttheirlivesandslaughtertheminanonstressfulway,thesecondpremisethatanimalsareunawarethatweareraisingthemforfoodseemstofallintoplacenaturally.Thatitspossibletopeacefullyloadanimalsontotrucksandleadthemcalmlytoslaughtersuggeststhatthisisthecase.InherbookAnimalsMakeUsHuman:CreatingtheBestLifeforAnimals,theanimalscientist(andslaughterhousedesigner)TempleGrandinwrites:

OftenIgetasked,Docattleknowtheyaregoingtodie?WhileIwasstillingraduateschoolIhadtoanswerthisquestion.TofindtheanswerIwatchedcattlegothroughtheveterinarychuteatafeedlotandthenonthesamedayIwatchedthemwalkupthechuteattheSwiftplant.Tomyamazement,theybehavedthesamewayinbothplaces.Iftheyknewthattheyweregoingtodie,theyshouldhaveactedwilderwithmorerearingandkickingattheSwiftplant.Attheplant,thehandlingwasbetterandtheywereoftencalmerthere.

Ifwecantakeanimalstotheirdeathswithouttheireverconnectingthedots,thenwiththebestanimalfarmingtheexistentialangstovertheirbeingexploitedanddoomedisalmostcertainlyinourheads,notintheirs.

Recentlytherehavebeenhighconceptproposalstotakethepainlessexploitationfurther.Someideasincludebreedinggeneticallymodifiedanimalswhoareinsensitivetopain,culturingnonsentientanimalproductsinalab,andgivingchickensvirtualrealityhelmetsso

8/11/2014 The Enigma of Animal Suffering - NYTimes.com

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thattheythinktheyarelivinginaniceenvironmenteveniftheyrenot.Theseideasmaynotbeverypracticalyet,buttheyhelpilluminatetheprinciplethatcouldallowanimalfarmingbutnothumanslaveryandgenocide:Exploitationisharmfulonlywhentheexploitedareabletonoticeitandresentit.

Becausethethirdpremisethattohavelivedahappybutbrieflifeisnoworsethantohaveneverlivedatallisaphilosophicalassertionandnotatestableempiricalquestion,itmaynothaveadefinitiveanswer.However,wecoulddefenditbyconsultingtheGreekphilosopherEpicurusandhisRomanprotgLucretius.Epicurusarguedthatdeathwasnothingtofearbecausewhenexistenceendsforanindividual,heceasestoexperienceanythingandsocannotsufferharmordeprivationfromhisdeath.Lucretiusaddedtothishissymmetryargument,thatsincetherewasnothingbadforusaboutthetimebeforeweexisted,weshouldseenothingbadforusaboutthetimeafterweexist,andsoweshouldnomoreregretdyingearlierthanweregretbeingbornlater.Ifprebirthnonexistenceisidenticaltopostmortemnonexistence,whyaccepttheformerandrejectthelatter?IfweagreewithEpicurusandLucretiushere,itdoesntseemcrueltobreedanimalsintoexistenceevenwhileintendingfortheirlivestobebrief.

Irealizethatevenasuddenmassacceptanceofthesethreepremiseswouldntsatisfyallopponentsofanimalfarming,becauseevenifweremovephysicalandpsychologicalsufferingfromtheequation,thereisstillperhapstheintangibleharmofsymbolicinjustice.Farmanimalsexistences,nomatterhowpleasantwecanmakethem,areultimatelydesignedforourselfishbenefit,andtheremightseemtobesomethingsinisterinthat.

Butjustrememberthatitmayseemsinisteronlytous.Iffarmanimalslackthecomplexformsofcommunicationandaccesstoinformationthatwouldallowthemtorealizethattheyexisttobecomefoodforus,andiftheydontexperiencephysicaltorturesalongtheway,

8/11/2014 The Enigma of Animal Suffering - NYTimes.com

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thentheyavoidalltheworstaspectsofhumanexploitation.

Thisdoesntescapeobjectionsofunequaltreatmentofanimalssomuchasraisethebar.Rejectingprohumanprejudicedoesntmeanseeinganimalhusbandryasequivalenttohumanoppression,butifanimalsignoranceoftheirownexploitationisourexcusetoexploitthem,wehaveabullettobite:Wehavetoendorseexploitationforourselvessolongaswereblissfullyunaware.

RhysSouthanisaformerveganwhohaswrittenabouttheethicsofeatinganimalsforAeonMagazine,ModernFarmerandhisblog,LetThemEatMeat.

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