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The Enigma of Animal Suffering - NYTimes.com

The Stone

The Enigma of Animal Suffering

By RHYS SOUTHAN

August 10, 2014 7:15 pm

The Stone is a forum for contemporary philosophers and other

thinkers on issues both timely and timeless.
Oneofthemostprovocativetacticsusedbyopponentsofanimal
exploitationistodrawananalogybetweenhumanandanimal
suffering.MarjorieSpiegelsTheDreadedComparison:Humanand
AnimalSlaveryfindsparallelsbetweenwhiteoppressionofAfrican
slavesinAmericaandhumanexploitationofnonhumans.Spiegel
assertsthatlikehumanslaves,nonhumananimalsaresubjectedto
branding,restraints,beatings,auctions,theseparationofoffspring
fromtheirparentsandforcedvoyages.
CharlesPattersonsEternalTreblinka:OurTreatmentofAnimals
andtheHolocaustminesanotherhumantragedyforcomparisonsto
animalhusbandry.Theeternalofthetitlehintsatonedifference
betweentheNazisattemptederadicationofEuropesJewsandthe
raisingofanimalsforfoodthelatterisanongoingcycleofbreeding
andkillingandnotahatefueledexterminationcampaignbut

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genocideandanimalfarmingcanbothinvolveobjectificationand
efficientmasskilling.
Someanimalrightsactivistsalsocomparedairyproductionwith
sexualassault,becausecowsareoftenartificiallyinseminatedtoget
thempregnantandcontinuouslylactating.
Suchanalogiesareshocking.Butaretheysound?
Ourperceptionoftheexternal,ofdisturbingimagesorscenes,is
sometimesaprojectionofourownfeelingsasobservers;itdoesnot
matchwhatthesubjectsofsuchtreatmentactuallyexperience.Animal
slaughter,forinstance,looksgoryanddisturbing,butwhenthe
animalsareknockedinsensiblefirst,thediscomfortisourownnot
theirs.
Forhumananalogiestoanimalfarmingtohaveforce,the
experienceofbeingafarmedanimalshouldbeequivalenttothehuman
experienceinsuperficiallysimilarcircumstances.Isitsafetoassume
thatacowraisedforfoodsuffersthesamegeneralhumiliations,
agoniesandfrustrateddriveforfreedomthatahumanslaveorvictim
ofsexualassaultorgenocidedoes?Ifnot,argumentsequatinganimal
sufferingtohumansufferingarelogicallyflawed.
Animalactiviststacitlyadmitthatinternalperceptionisessential
whentheytalkabouttheimportanceofsentience.Wedominateand
slaughterplants,butfewpeoplecarebecauseitisassumedthatour
plantvictimsdontperceiveanyofit.Wearenottypicallychallengedto
imagineourselvesasindustriallyraisedstalksofcorn,withourroots
stuckunderground,neverabletositorliedown,peckedatbycrows
andbrutallyharvested.Withthephysicalattributesandcognitive
abilitiesofahuman,thatwouldbetorture,butwequitereasonably
assumethatitsnotsobadforstiff,brainlessstalksofcorn.
Itsnottheexploitationinitselfthatsobjectionable,then,butthat
theexploitationisexperiencedasharmful.This,however,raisesthe

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possibilitythatthedominationandcontrolofanimalswouldbe
acceptableifwecoulddoitwithouttheirmindingitverymuch.Isthere
reasontobelievethisisso?
Yes,ifweacceptthefollowingthreepremises:
1.Eventhoughanimalsfeelphysicalandemotionalpain,itis
possibletoraisethemforfoodandkillthemwithoutcausingthemany
moresufferingthanwhatwemightexpectawelloffhumanto
experience.
2.Pigs,cows,chickens,lambs,goatsandotherfarmedanimals
donthavethecommunicationskillsoraccesstoinformationtofigure
outthatthepurposeoftheirlives,fromthepointofviewofhumans,is
tousethemasfood.
3.Tohavelivedahappybutbrieflifeisnoworsethantohave
neverlivedatall.
Thefirstpremisemightseemhardtoaccept,giventhebrutal
realitiesofmodernanimalfarming.Mostfarmanimalsareraisedon
intensivefactoryfarmswheretheysufferforthemajorityoftheirshort
lives.Evensmall,highwelfarefarmstendtosubjecttheiranimalstoat
leastsomepainfulprocedureslikecastrationwithoutanesthetic,
dehorningortheseparationofmothersandtheirnewbornchildren.
Yetultrahighwelfareanimalproductsareapossibility,nota
fantasy.Considerthehighestlevelofthe5Stepanimalwelfarerating
programatWholeFoodsMarket.Forbeef,thisprohibitsbranding,
castration,earnotching,separatingmothersfromcalvesforearly
weaningandlongtripstotheslaughterhouse.Forpigs,thisensures
theyareneverseparatedfromtheirlittermates,whichisimportant
becauseofhowsocialpigsare.Forchickens,itmeanstheyhaveplenty
ofspaceanddonthavetoendurephysicalalterationslikedebeaking.
Almostnofarmsmeetthesestandards,butifmoreofuswere
willingtocompromiseontheprice,taste,quantityandtextureofthe

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meatweeat,morefarmslikethiscouldexistandthrive.
Advancesintechnologyandbreedingcouldalsoimprovewelfare.
Selectivebreedingofcowswholactatefortwoormoreyearsafter
givingbirth,apracticecalledperennialdairying,couldreducethe
numberoftimesadairycowneedstogetpregnanttoproducemilk.
Painlessslaughterisalreadyfeasiblewhendonecarefullyandwould
becomeeasierifwewereraisingfarfeweranimalsforfoodanddidnt
rushthousandsthroughasingleslaughterhouseinaday.
Ifwetreatanimalswellthroughouttheirlivesandslaughterthem
inanonstressfulway,thesecondpremisethatanimalsareunaware
thatweareraisingthemforfoodseemstofallintoplacenaturally.
Thatitspossibletopeacefullyloadanimalsontotrucksandleadthem
calmlytoslaughtersuggeststhatthisisthecase.InherbookAnimals
MakeUsHuman:CreatingtheBestLifeforAnimals,theanimal
scientist(andslaughterhousedesigner)TempleGrandinwrites:
OftenIgetasked,Docattleknowtheyaregoingtodie?WhileI
wasstillingraduateschoolIhadtoanswerthisquestion.Tofindthe
answerIwatchedcattlegothroughtheveterinarychuteatafeedlot
andthenonthesamedayIwatchedthemwalkupthechuteatthe
Swiftplant.Tomyamazement,theybehavedthesamewayinboth
places.Iftheyknewthattheyweregoingtodie,theyshouldhave
actedwilderwithmorerearingandkickingattheSwiftplant.Atthe
plant,thehandlingwasbetterandtheywereoftencalmerthere.
Ifwecantakeanimalstotheirdeathswithouttheireverconnecting
thedots,thenwiththebestanimalfarmingtheexistentialangstover
theirbeingexploitedanddoomedisalmostcertainlyinourheads,not
intheirs.
Recentlytherehavebeenhighconceptproposalstotakethe
painlessexploitationfurther.Someideasincludebreedinggenetically
modifiedanimalswhoareinsensitivetopain,culturingnonsentient
animalproductsinalab,andgivingchickensvirtualrealityhelmetsso

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thattheythinktheyarelivinginaniceenvironmenteveniftheyrenot.
Theseideasmaynotbeverypracticalyet,buttheyhelpilluminatethe
principlethatcouldallowanimalfarmingbutnothumanslaveryand
genocide:Exploitationisharmfulonlywhentheexploitedareableto
noticeitandresentit.
Becausethethirdpremisethattohavelivedahappybutbrief
lifeisnoworsethantohaveneverlivedatallisaphilosophical
assertionandnotatestableempiricalquestion,itmaynothavea
definitiveanswer.However,wecoulddefenditbyconsultingtheGreek
philosopherEpicurusandhisRomanprotgLucretius.Epicurus
arguedthatdeathwasnothingtofearbecausewhenexistenceendsfor
anindividual,heceasestoexperienceanythingandsocannotsuffer
harmordeprivationfromhisdeath.Lucretiusaddedtothishis
symmetryargument,thatsincetherewasnothingbadforusabout
thetimebeforeweexisted,weshouldseenothingbadforusaboutthe
timeafterweexist,andsoweshouldnomoreregretdyingearlierthan
weregretbeingbornlater.Ifprebirthnonexistenceisidenticalto
postmortemnonexistence,whyaccepttheformerandrejectthelatter?
IfweagreewithEpicurusandLucretiushere,itdoesntseemcruelto
breedanimalsintoexistenceevenwhileintendingfortheirlivestobe
brief.
Irealizethatevenasuddenmassacceptanceofthesethree
premiseswouldntsatisfyallopponentsofanimalfarming,because
evenifweremovephysicalandpsychologicalsufferingfromthe
equation,thereisstillperhapstheintangibleharmofsymbolic
injustice.Farmanimalsexistences,nomatterhowpleasantwecan
makethem,areultimatelydesignedforourselfishbenefit,andthere
mightseemtobesomethingsinisterinthat.
Butjustrememberthatitmayseemsinisteronlytous.Iffarm
animalslackthecomplexformsofcommunicationandaccessto
informationthatwouldallowthemtorealizethattheyexisttobecome
foodforus,andiftheydontexperiencephysicaltorturesalongtheway,

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thentheyavoidalltheworstaspectsofhumanexploitation.
Thisdoesntescapeobjectionsofunequaltreatmentofanimalsso
muchasraisethebar.Rejectingprohumanprejudicedoesntmean
seeinganimalhusbandryasequivalenttohumanoppression,butif
animalsignoranceoftheirownexploitationisourexcusetoexploit
them,wehaveabullettobite:Wehavetoendorseexploitationfor
ourselvessolongaswereblissfullyunaware.
RhysSouthanisaformerveganwhohaswrittenabouttheethics
ofeatinganimalsforAeonMagazine,ModernFarmerandhis
blog,LetThemEatMeat.

2014 The New York Times Company

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