For example, just as with humans, non-human animal extinction and non-extinction are both attractor states. It is plausible that the extinction of both farmed and wild animals is better than existence, as some have suggested that wild animals tend to experience far more suffering than pleasure and it is clear that factory-farmed animals undergo significant suffering. Therefore causing non-human animal extinction may have high value. Even if some non-human animals do have positive welfare, it may be better to err on the side of caution and cause them to go extinct, making use of any resources or space that is freed up to support beings that have greater capacity for welfare and that are at lower risk of being exploited e.g. humans (although this may not be desirable under certain population axiologies).
My impression is that people interested in wild animal welfare early on jumped a bit too quickly to being confident that wild animal lives are net negative, possibly because one of the pioneers of this area (Brian Tomasik) is morally suffering-focused (hence the early arguments tended to focus on suffering).
I don’t have a strong view on whether wild animal lives tend to be net negative, but it seems to me that more uncertainty is warranted.
I don’t think this undermines the idea that maybe longtermists should focus on non-humans, but it suggests that maybe it’s unwise to place much much emphasis on reducing suffering and maybe even causing extinction than on other options (e.g., improving their lives or increasing their population). I think we should currently see both options as plausible priorities.
My impression is that people interested in wild animal welfare early on jumped a bit too quickly to being confident that wild animal lives are net negative, possibly because one of the pioneers of this area (Brian Tomasik) is morally suffering-focused (hence the early arguments tended to focus on suffering).
I don’t have a strong view on whether wild animal lives tend to be net negative, but it seems to me that more uncertainty is warranted.
See also the EAG talk Does suffering dominate enjoyment in the animal kingdom? | Zach Groff.
I don’t think this undermines the idea that maybe longtermists should focus on non-humans, but it suggests that maybe it’s unwise to place much much emphasis on reducing suffering and maybe even causing extinction than on other options (e.g., improving their lives or increasing their population). I think we should currently see both options as plausible priorities.