Re: [APD] Disposing of Unwanted Fish

[Jerry Baker <jerry at bakerweb_biz>]

Chris White wrote:
> Woo!  2 responses in one day!  Funny thing, i had almost the same debate 
> with an acquaintance the other night, which really annoyed me because 
> this person debated for the sake of debating (he is a very good debater; 
> perhaps even a mass debater! ;o)).  So i gave up on the debate and 
> referred to my own personal feelings which still got refuted!  Anyway, 
> normally its up to the theorists to prove that a theory is correct 
> rather than the critic to falsify it (who was that guy who suggested a 
> giant teapot orbits the sun?), but why not just play on the safe side 
> and assume that the non-human animals do feel pain and have and 
> awareness?  That way, if it ever does get proved, we can all rest 
> assured in that knowledge...

It's a convincing argument for me. I wasn't always that way. I believe 
it was Blaise Pascal who made a very similar argument for maintaining a 
belief in God. The critical difference is that treating animals as if 
they experience pain does not necessitate any major lifestyle changes. 
It doesn't mean you can't eat meat, hunt, fish, or anything else. It 
just means that you shouldn't inflict needless suffering on other living 
beings. I can't imagine a reason not to behave in such a manner except 
for laziness or a callous disregard for suffering. If you have spent 
your life treating animals with some degree of compassion, and it turns 
out that they indeed can't feel pain, what have you lost? On the other 
hand, what if you spend your life dropping fish on the floor to 
suffocate in the air, boiling lobsters alive, eating chicken that has 
been squeezed into a cage for its entire life, and it turns out that 
they can experience pain in any way similar to you and I? Sure, it won't 
hurt you in any way, but it would speak volumes for your character if it 
didn't bother you.

-- 
Jerry Baker
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