To sustain life, the human body requires nourishment. Such is the "catch-22" - how to sustain life without destroying life? Most (but not all) consider cannibalism as the ultimate cultural taboo, so that's not an option. Eating inanimate objects like rocks or dirt don't provide what the body needs, so that's out. That effectively limits your choices to eating animals or becoming a vegetarian.
Parts of East and Southeast Asia eat dogs. Americans don't eat dogs, but they do eat cows. Hindus won't eat cows, but they do eat chickens. As far as we know, animals can't ponder the philosophy of life, the meaning of their existence, social contract theory, or the non-aggression principle. (And, don't forget that animals eat animals.) Ergo, some humans feel compelled to do it for them. Some would argue that we have an ethical obligation towards animals because we know animals are sentient and can suffer (as opposed to, say, insects). Others would argue that animals are bred and raised specifically to eat and, so, there would be less animals if we didn't eat them. And, putting aside what would appear to be a contradiction, there are even vegetarians who are against initiating force against innocent animals but support initiating force against innocent human beings. (There is even some evidence that Hitler was a vegetarian purportedly for "his general attitude toward life.")
Is it ethical to breed and raise animals for the sole purpose of killing them for food? What are the ethical considerations of eating animals? Are animals just natural resources for humans to harvest? Is it a contradiction, or even hypocritical, to be against animal cruelty yet to eat animals? Are vegetarians ethically superior to meat-eaters because they aren't initiating force against innocent victims? Does it make a difference if an animal has personality? If you think it is acceptable to eat animals, what standards do you use to determine which animals are OK to eat?
Vincent: Want some bacon?
Jules: No man, I don't eat pork.
Vincent: Are you Jewish?
Jules: Nah, I ain't Jewish, I just don't dig on swine, that's all.
Vincent: Why not?
Jules: Pigs are filthy animals. I don't eat filthy animals.
Vincent: Bacon tastes gooood. Pork chops taste gooood.
Jules: Hey, sewer rat may taste like pumpkin pie, but I'd never know 'cause I wouldn't eat the filthy motherfucker. Pigs sleep and root in shit. That's a filthy animal. I ain't eat nothin' that ain't got sense enough to disregard its own feces.
Vincent: How about a dog? Dogs eats its own feces.
Jules: I don't eat dog either.
Vincent: Yeah, but do you consider a dog to be a filthy animal?
Jules: I wouldn't go so far as to call a dog filthy but they're definitely dirty. But, a dog's got personality. Personality goes a long way.
Vincent: Ah, so by that rationale, if a pig had a better personality, he would cease to be a filthy animal. Is that true?
Jules: Well we'd have to be talkin' about one charming motherfuckin' pig. I mean he'd have to be ten times more charmin' than that Arnold on Green Acres, you know what I'm sayin'?
DISCUSS!
Original posting by Braincrave Second Life staff on Mar 7, 2011 at http://www.braincrave.com/viewblog.php?id=493
We all admire beauty, but the mind ultimately must be stimulated for maximum arousal. Longevity in relationships cannot occur without a meeting of the minds. And that is what Braincrave is: a dating venue where minds meet. Learn about the thoughts of your potential match on deeper topics... topics that spawn your own insights around what you think, the choices you make, and the actions you take.
We are a community of men and women who seek beauty and stimulation through our minds. We find ideas, education, and self-improvement sexy. We think intelligence is hot. But Braincrave is more than brains and I.Q. alone. We are curious. We have common sense. We value and offer wisdom. We experiment. We have great imaginations. We devour literacy. We are intellectually honest. We support and encourage each other to be better.
You might be lonely but you aren't alone.
Sep, 2017 update: Although Braincrave resulted in two confirmed marriages, the venture didn't meet financial targets. Rather than updating our outdated code base, we've removed all previous dating profiles and retained the articles that continue to generate interest. Moving to valME.io's platform supports dating profiles (which you are welcome to post) but won't allow typical date-matching functionality (e.g., location proximity, attribute similarity).
The Braincrave.com discussion group on Second Life was a twice-daily intellectual group discussions typically held at 12:00 PM SLT (PST) and 7:00 PM SLT. The discussions took place in Second Life group chat but are no longer formally scheduled or managed. The daily articles were used to encourage the discussions.