Note - from June 24th 2009, this blog has migrated from Blogger to a self-hosted version. Click here to go straight there.
I'm not a vegetarian; I like bacon, pork, and ham, despite having known full well for ten years that the average pig is at least as smart as the average house cat (and both are smarter than the average 6 year old human). I have also long taken it as screamingly obvious that animals are genuinely sentient - self aware, with an understanding of the ramifications of their actions. To put this down to "instinct" while we attribute "higher brain function" to animals like Alan Greenspan and George Bush, is terribly unfair and conceited and anthropocentric.
I aso reject claims that those in favour of the theory of animal sentience are sentimentally anthropomorphic. When it's all said and done, anthropomorphism simply says that if two species act the same way, the same conclusions can be drawn - even if one of the species concerned is human.
Well, now there's decent research to back it up. It's been found that cows form social bonds (both positive and negative)... I knew that because of my interactions with my mate Mangus (A Belted Galloway bull calf). It's been found that chickens feel jealousy. Sheep can recognise people (and other individual sheep). But also - more insterestingly - cows can form and use tools!!
I've said many times that future generations will look back on our current eating habits and be absolutely disgusted that we saw fit to kill and eat other genuinely sentient beings - and even more disgusted regarding the methods by which we "farm" some of these animals (pigs and chickens, in particular, but also feedlot steers).
To date I have only managed to convince myself to eschew lamb. It has nothing to do with the "fluffiness factor".
It happened in an instant. I got too close to a truck and saw how disoriented and concerned the sheep were. A couple of the sheep were looking straight at me, with an obvious sense of "what is happening to us?" in their eyes. Eye contact is a very forceful appetite suppressant.
I'm never going to join crowds like PETA, but it's great that conferences are now being organised that are forcing us to confront the stupid claims that "animals experience the universe fundamentally differently to humans". We used to believe that about "niggers", and it was a watershed moment in human philosophy when that notion was abandoned. I hope we are approaching another such moment.
