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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
8/11/2014 The Enigma of Animal Suffering - NYTimes.com
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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
8/11/2014 The Enigma of Animal Suffering - NYTimes.com
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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.
2014 The New York Times Company
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