Will killing animals be seen in the future as the slave trade is now?
Discuss the merits and deficiencies of political theories and philosophical questions.
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Will killing animals be seen in the future as the slave trade is now?Throughout history, and indeed still today, individuals in societies have done things that we would, in modern day Britain, consider unthinkable.
The trading of black slaves, the Holocaust, forcing young children to work in mines, not allowing women to vote are random and varied examples that spring to mind.
This makes me wonder if we now live in a post-discrimination and post-barbarism society, or if there remain things that still need to be fixed.
Aside from things like not allowing women to be front-line infantry, or not legalising gay marriage, I wonder if our treatment of animals will be reconsidered.
Battery farming, killing insects and arachnids and keeping certain animals in captivity (for instance forcing killer wales to perform several shows a day in captivity, where I believe they have been shown to have a shorter life span) may, I speculate, be something that our society is held accountable for in the future. Do you think it's possible that in fifty years time, we will be seen as barbarians?
I'm a meat eater, I have been to Sea World, and I have no qualms about killing insects. But I do these things just because I am used to it and have no strong feelings against them, not because I have sat down and thought about whether it is the right thing to do or not. I wonder if this makes me any better then the perpetrators of history's worst crimes. (But maybe that's a little dramatic.) My conception of living in the twenty first century is that our era should be about challenging all sorts of prejudices and learning to overcome them, and I wonder if we have really learned from the heinous crimes of the past. -
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Re: Will killing animals be seen in the future as the slave trade is now?No, but our happiness as developed countries to watch famine and disease kill millions will be.
When people ask why the Germans did nothing to stop the Holocaust, in the future people will ask why we; educated, fortunate, rich and obese, did nothing (or extremely little) to stop 'third world' poverty.
Forget the blood of animals, human blood is on all of our hands - we need to take responsibility.
sorry for sounding like a preacher btw - it's just one of the few things i passionately believe in
Why have I been negged for this??Last edited by tj hughes; 21-06-2012 at 10:35. -
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Re: Will killing animals be seen in the future as the slave trade is now?I don't purposely kill insects...(Original post by whyumadtho)
Insects? They are pestilent, very easy to accidentally kill and can't even be enumerated. I strongly doubt they will ever be seen as equivalent to something like battery farming.
I'm not even a vegetarian, I just think that ending of life to no end is wrong... -
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Re: Will killing animals be seen in the future as the slave trade is now?But doesn't eating meat contribute to food shortages? As the land used for cattle could be used to make much more food (i.e: wheats).(Original post by tj hughes)
No, but our happiness as developed countries to watch famine and disease kill millions will be.
When people ask why the Germans did nothing to stop the Holocaust, in the future people will ask why we; educated, fortunate, rich and obese, did nothing (or extremely little) to stop 'third world' poverty.
Forget the blood of animals, human blood is on all of our hands - we need to take responsibility.
sorry for sounding like a preacher btw - it's just one of the few things i passionately believe in
(I'm a meat eater aswell, I'm just pointing out that a diet that consist's of a large amount of meat contribute's to famine across the rest of the world.) -
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Re: Will killing animals be seen in the future as the slave trade is now?Very good point.(Original post by Silkysam)
But doesn't eating meat contribute to food shortages? As the land used for cattle could be used to make much more food (i.e: wheats).
(I'm a meat eater aswell, I'm just pointing out that a diet that consist's of a large amount of meat contribute's to famine across the rest of the world.)
However, the OP was asking if the act of killing animals was wrong - I don't think so... You're right to suggest that focusing farming on animals and reducing land for other food is wrong, because it leads to famine.
Nonetheless, there is still nothing wrong with the act of killing an animal IMO... -
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Re: Will killing animals be seen in the future as the slave trade is now?Bit of a hypocrite then?(Original post by Barden)
I don't purposely kill insects...
I'm not even a vegetarian, I just think that ending of life to no end is wrong... -
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Re: Will killing animals be seen in the future as the slave trade is now?Do you really think we're going to need battery hens in the future? What about all the scientific advances that are inevitably going to occur over the next 100 years? We don't even need battery hens now.(Original post by Namige)
In the future humans will need an ever greater number of battery hens etc. whereas slaves are simply not required no matter the time period.
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Re: Will killing animals be seen in the future as the slave trade is now?Killing animals for food is a reasonable end...(Original post by Snorrrlax)
Bit of a hypocrite then?
When in vitro meat becomes an affordable, palatable and nutritional alternative, I'll happily cease eating dead animals.
I don't see how I am a hypocrite for not agreeing with killing an animal on the basis that I don't like how it looks... Or that it's life is of less consequence.
I condone killing to satisfy one's instinctive desire to consume animal flesh, but not killing because one can. -
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Re: Will killing animals be seen in the future as the slave trade is now?That's like telling someone in a wheelchair to walk in return for their rights.(Original post by Imposition)
Only if all the animals rise up and demand for their rights. -
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Re: Will killing animals be seen in the future as the slave trade is now?A lot of what humans have done are unthinkable in the modern world, and similarly at lot of atrocities going on today will be thought of the exact same way by future historians.
Events in the 19th century, such as British atrocities in colonies such as India were thought of as alright then, as natives from the colonies were thought of as below all british people. Now we think of this racism as unbelievable.
Even in the USA in the 1950-70s there was a lot of racism that wouldn't be tolerated in modern society. -
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Re: Will killing animals be seen in the future as the slave trade is now?The main problem with agriculture not meeting demand is a lack of clean water for irrigation... this would only get worse if we turned all grazing land into fields of crops...(Original post by Silkysam)
But doesn't eating meat contribute to food shortages? As the land used for cattle could be used to make much more food (i.e: wheats).
(I'm a meat eater aswell, I'm just pointing out that a diet that consist's of a large amount of meat contribute's to famine across the rest of the world.) -
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Re: Will killing animals be seen in the future as the slave trade is now?I think you should do some more research because there is perfectly nutritional alternatives. Yes it may take a while to get used to changing your diet, but it does work. Unless you're one of those people who is too lazy to search for healthy alternatives?(Original post by Barden)
Killing animals for food is a reasonable end...
When in vitro meat becomes an affordable, palatable and nutritional alternative, I'll happily cease eating dead animals.
I don't see how I am a hypocrite for not agreeing with killing an animal on the basis that I don't like how it looks... Or that it's life is of less consequence.
I condone killing to satisfy one's instinctive desire to consume animal flesh, but not killing because one can. -
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Re: Will killing animals be seen in the future as the slave trade is now?I didn't only mention nutrition.(Original post by Snorrrlax)
I think you should do some more research because there is perfectly nutritional alternatives. Yes it may take a while to get used to changing your diet, but it does work. Unless you're one of those people who is too lazy to search for healthy alternatives?
Furthermore, if that were actually the case, we would be herbivores. -
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Re: Will killing animals be seen in the future as the slave trade is now?Good thought. I've been thinking a similar thing with jobs of today, past and present.
Anybody seen that programme with Tony Robinson, called the worst jobs in history?
Just is amazing to see the utterly horrific, dirty, dangerous and soul-destroying jobs people did back throughout history. At least 98% of the population did all these jobs back then, it was seen as the norm and society just got on with it. Only looking back now is when we see how horrific peoples lives where back then.
What about in 300-500 years time, will people look back and think, "OMG they worked 8 hours a day!? .
They actually had to use their own hands and thoughts for that job? WOW everybody sat at those square screen things for hours at a time, life was so terrible back in 2012! "
