Thanks, I think both those points make sense. On the second point about value of information, the future for animals without humans would likely still be bad (because of wild animal suffering), and a future with humans could be less bad for animals (because we alleviate both wild and farmed animal suffering). So I don’ think it’s necessarily true that something as abstract as ‘a clearer picture of the future’ can’t be worth the price of present animal suffering, since one of the upshots of learning that picture might be to choose to live on and reduce overall animal suffering over the long run. Although of course you could just be very sceptical that the information value alone would be enough to justify another ⩾ half-century of animal suffering (and it certainly shouldn’t be used to excuse to wait around and not do things to urgently reduce that suffering). Though I don’t know exactly what you’re pointing at re “defensive capabilities” of factory farming.
I also think I share your short-term (say, ⩽ 25-year) pessimism about farmed animals. But in the longer run, I think there are some reasons for hope (if alt proteins get much cheaper and better, if humans do eventually decide to move away from animal agriculture for roughly ethical reasons, despite the track record of activism so far).
Of course there is a question of what to do if you are much more pessimistic even over the long-run for animal (or nonhuman) welfare. Even here, if “cause the end of human civilisation” were a serious option, I’d be very surprised if there weren’t many other serious options available to end factory farming without also causing the worst calamity ever.
(Don’t mean to represent you as taking a stand on whether extinction would be good fwiw)
Thanks, I think both those points make sense. On the second point about value of information, the future for animals without humans would likely still be bad (because of wild animal suffering), and a future with humans could be less bad for animals (because we alleviate both wild and farmed animal suffering). So I don’ think it’s necessarily true that something as abstract as ‘a clearer picture of the future’ can’t be worth the price of present animal suffering, since one of the upshots of learning that picture might be to choose to live on and reduce overall animal suffering over the long run. Although of course you could just be very sceptical that the information value alone would be enough to justify another ⩾ half-century of animal suffering (and it certainly shouldn’t be used to excuse to wait around and not do things to urgently reduce that suffering). Though I don’t know exactly what you’re pointing at re “defensive capabilities” of factory farming.
I also think I share your short-term (say, ⩽ 25-year) pessimism about farmed animals. But in the longer run, I think there are some reasons for hope (if alt proteins get much cheaper and better, if humans do eventually decide to move away from animal agriculture for roughly ethical reasons, despite the track record of activism so far).
Of course there is a question of what to do if you are much more pessimistic even over the long-run for animal (or nonhuman) welfare. Even here, if “cause the end of human civilisation” were a serious option, I’d be very surprised if there weren’t many other serious options available to end factory farming without also causing the worst calamity ever.
(Don’t mean to represent you as taking a stand on whether extinction would be good fwiw)