In general, one uncomfortable realization that I feel I am approaching is kind of misanthropic.
More than 100 billion animals are killed for meat and other animal products every year.
Considering there is 8 billion humans, if there was a hypothetical example where pressing a button would destroy the whole world (or even just humanity) would that be preferable compared to the suffering of factory farmed animals?
I know commonly animal welfare is put in a lower basis compared to human welfare.
However, considering the sheer amount of animal suffering in factory farms, does it not outweigh the total amount of human flourishing?
Without meaning to sound like an eco-terrorist, considering the amount of suffering one person that eats meat can do to animals, should murdering a meat eater be considered “ethical”?
I feel like these are important questions to answer and depending on your answer to these questions, can probably determine what to focus (whether animal based ethics, or human improvement).
This doesn’t really solve the problem, but most animal suffering is likely not in factory farms but in nature, so getting rid of humans isn’t necessarily net good for animals. (To be clear, I am strongly against murdering humans even if it is net good for animals.)
I feel that this is an interesting question.
In general, one uncomfortable realization that I feel I am approaching is kind of misanthropic.
More than 100 billion animals are killed for meat and other animal products every year.
Considering there is 8 billion humans, if there was a hypothetical example where pressing a button would destroy the whole world (or even just humanity) would that be preferable compared to the suffering of factory farmed animals?
I know commonly animal welfare is put in a lower basis compared to human welfare.
However, considering the sheer amount of animal suffering in factory farms, does it not outweigh the total amount of human flourishing?
Without meaning to sound like an eco-terrorist, considering the amount of suffering one person that eats meat can do to animals, should murdering a meat eater be considered “ethical”?
I feel like these are important questions to answer and depending on your answer to these questions, can probably determine what to focus (whether animal based ethics, or human improvement).
This doesn’t really solve the problem, but most animal suffering is likely not in factory farms but in nature, so getting rid of humans isn’t necessarily net good for animals. (To be clear, I am strongly against murdering humans even if it is net good for animals.)
Thanks for your response, im in the same boat as you it seems.