It turns out that I'm not the only person who has come to the conclusion that even if we are going to eat animals, we shouldn't eat intelligent ones, especially if we trained and bred them to be intelligent. This is in response to the really strange internet dust-up about how South Korea should be encouraged to legalize eating dogs. Clearly, they are completely capable of legalizing it or keeping it illegal without our help (and they are starting to regulate it), so I don't really see where the US comes into the issue here, but I also think there is a point to the objection that dogs have, essentially, been created by humans and that should be a factor in how humans treat dogs.
Of course, refraining from eating things that are intelligent causes a problem with pork (bacon, pepperoni, sausage, mmmm), but I have high hopes that my ethical qualms will soon be solved by science in the form of in-vitro meat. These high hopes are mostly born on the shoulders of Scandinavians; Norway just hosted the first In-vitro Meat Symposium.
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I have another take on WHICH animals to eat and which to treat as "peers" in the food chain.
So two points:
1. "Intellegent animals" - compared to plants animals are "thinkers", I would use the term sentiant, but I cannot spell it being an engineer). I believe many more animals are intellegent to the extent of dogs and pigs than we give credit..... I was recently in the Alps and threw some bread crumbs on fresh fallen snow..... a collection of crows appeared. (Yes I did count the crows but let's not get muse-ical)...
There were two, they sized up the situation and the smaller flew up, sqauking - then about 13 more showed up. This group later ran off another 7 who seemed not to be invited. They strategically kept ME away from their food, with a lookout, and a diversion bird on the ground - as the others took turns taking the crumbs. It even seemed they took a piece relative to their size...
This was so communal for what I have always thought to be a scavenger that I could only conclude "language and intelligence - but perhaps beyond OUR ability to recognize"
2. Smart or dull - food is food. But there are the eaters and the , well FOOD. I believe it wrong for us to eat CARNIVORS.... so dogs and cats are out, PIGS (bacon) is in. If it hunts, kills and eats - then we are peers on the food chain - and should leave each other alone. Further support of this is the simple fact that "herbivors have specialized digestion - see the Cow" for vegitable conversion to protien - and we are built to tolerate taking the shortcut - hence If it would eat a cow, pig, or chicken - let it be. Fish are the obvious exception - I cannot completely explain???
3. The Cute rule, the best defense for FOOD - is to look at you with big sad eyes and hope you turn away - so puppies and lambs are questionable meals.
Just as a reminder - in Vietnam, you can buy puppies and kittens - BY THE POUND!!! Mom
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