Because other animals taste good and killing humans for food is cannibalism, and that is something we normal people frown upon.

@Ench - if you are going to be off topic and petulant then my signature isn't a witticism but is written to show there is two sides to the statement.

That post was so fucking stupid I was on the verge of giving it negrep. Seriously "and that is something we normal people frown upon"? In the Third Reich Jews were frowned upon by normal people. Holocaust justified!

There are countless examples throughout history where the majority has wronged; why don't you try again..

I'd link to bring the thread back on topic by saying that life is fine at the moment.

Fucking hell you are being thick Moxco, now you are comparing eating animals to the tirade of the Third Reich, you need a fucking pill and a reality check mate. I've been brought up eating meat and never once questioned it, therefore I may eat meat, as do most people on this Earth, furthermore, we have teeth that are there for eating meat, it is biologically necessary for us to eat meat and therefore have a healthy existence. And finally, and this is the fucking most obvious point, we are omnivores, I.e, we are a species that consumes meat, as we have done for hundreds of thousands of years, as do all predators and apex predators.

Stop making stupid and quite frankly banal arguments, we eat meat = we are no better than the Schutzstaffel? I'll say it again, grow up and stop wasting my time.

Yes we are omnivores. Does that justify cannibalism?

My point isn't necessarily whether eating meat is or morally wrong or right. It is that you, without logical reason, declare some species to be sacred and others okay to be killed whenever.

I think you missed the whole point of MoxCo's post. I don't believe he was making that comparison. I think he was talking about your point on cannibalism being viewed as wrong in certain societies. In fact, what he says reinforces slightly what you said earlier about the subjective nature of morality. What he's saying is that just because a bunch of people think something is wrong (or right) it does not mean it really is wrong (or right).

EDIT: Speedy shit.

Right well, I wasn't basing it on nothing, I based my assumptions on what I believe to be true made from an amalgamation of my own ideas and those based in science and religion. For example science dictates to me that squid are massively intelligent, the next super species to replace us even, once I realised this and established it as truth I realised that I couldn't eat these animals because it would be like eating something of comparable intelligence to a monkey.

I don't see why 'intelligent' animals should have more of a right to live.

There's more of a an argument that these creatures can better enjoy a longer life. I don't see why you complain, are you people true vegans? You might as well ask why we should kill bacteria when we wipe down table surfaces, a bacterium is alive and we are thoughtlessly massacring millions upon millions of them just so we can eat without the chance of getting ill. Despicable.

See, you can flip the extremes right around.

But saying that we shouldn't harm sentient beings is not at all an extreme.

I don't understand how greater intelligence allows for greater happiness.

EDIT: oh, I think I (kind of) misread. You're saying that more intelligent creatures will better appreciate having a long life, not that they'll necessarily be happier?

Well, I suppose they might do. But that wouldn't be much of a reason to me (if I ate meat) to eat cows but not squids.

Bacteria are without brains; they have no opinion on their own existence. Did you not think of that?

Fair enough Enchilado.

@MoxCo - but by your logic all creatures should be treated the same, you are the one that suggested intelligence doesn't factor into which animals we kill. And besides, the nucleus functions as a brain carrying out all the necessary functions. Certainly it is developed enough for the bacteria to become the most thriving of any living creature on the planet.

By his logic, sentience factors into which animals we kill.

Okay then, you never stomped a spider underfoot? Or put down slug pellets to stop them eating your cabbage?

Before we continue, I would like to ask what point you are trying to make.

Neither spiders nor slugs are sentient. They're pretty much biological automatons, as are the cells they'e made of.

Actually, sentience can be declassified so low as undifferentiated conciousness, i.e. when a spider catches it's prey with webs or when it retreats from humans, that is sentience. Slugs, perhaps it's debatable but not spiders.

I once built a robot that could run from humans. Well, drive. Roll?

The definition I know is being able to experience, being aware of one's own existence and feelings. The ability to suffer is a watershed indicator.

Isn't being aware of yourself sapience? Your robot didn't understand why it needed to escape a human, that would be comparing the spider to a wind up car for example would it not?

In the future we should just make a microchip to put in everyone's brain that makes you euphoric all the time. Then life will be awesome.

Just smoke drow.

But, I don't smoke?

Sniff lines, then.

Off the ass of a Brazilian hooker. Now that's life.

Life? I like it, extremely much so at that. I'm pretty much a happy go lucky guy and Dix can, hopefully, confirm this. And as much as I enjoy life I'm looking forward to death.

*confirms*

You happy bastard.

strange avatar choice

My father once told me;

"Life's shit, and then you die."

Stirring stuff. :p

Your father was misquoting, the actual line is 'Life's a bitch and then you die.'

"Life's a bitch, and so am I" is a popular variant.

... I need sleep.

Must not quote Ronan Keating.

Now that that urge is resisted, life can suck majorly but hey, pain is how we know we're alive.

Life is pretty rockin'. Especially right now. I'm just about getting ready to move into a new house, I've been with an amazing guy for over 2 months now, I'm ready to head into the real world and finally get out of my idealist's bubble...

Yeah the university thing fell apart and I may not go back, yeah I'm having to try and find a job so I can pay my half of the rent, and yeah I'm a nervous wreck when it comes to being in the real world...

But it's totally worth it.

Or "Life's a bitch and then you marry one"

I had a feeling it was a variation of some quote.

Besides that, at the moment I'm feeling pretty good with my lot. Got into university and loving it, wonderful girlfriend, wonderful friends, a car, and a source of income. Can't really complain about anything.

Why are we alive?

I personally have no clue. I find the more I think about it the more I realise that I have no idea about how anything works.

.

Yeah, God made everything and thought it was 'very good'.

Nonchalant fucker.

God needed someone like Gordon Ramsay to call him a cunt and make fun of him for being content with mediocrity.

Sometimes I wonder if it is worth it to be alive. Then I think about what it would be like to not be alive. Then I decide to stay alive.

Other times, I think of good things in life, and I smile, then think life is good. When I think of the bad things, I eventually think of good things, and I think life is good for me even with the bad things, but I can never be too sure if I can say the same for everyone else.

Life is more good than bad in my opinion.

This. Fucking this.