Re: BOUNCE killietalk at aka_org: Non-member submission from["Tom ROCHE" <TROCHE at itt_state.ga.us>]

[Doug Karpa-Wilson <dkarpawi at indiana_edu>]

>Both of these stories suggest that we know too little to say
>what animals have what types of feelings.  The same goes
>for suffering.
>
>Tom
>

I certainly think it's easy to say that fish feel pleasure, misery and
happiness.  Compare a sick fish's behavior to one chowing bloodworms and
changes in behavior and coloration when the physical conditions are
appropriate for the likes of a fish.  One might say it's just reflex or
something and they just look like they have feelings.  However, when you
think about it the only way we can tell is someone is happy, excited or
depressed is based on the same sorts of observations.  The only reason
we're willing to ascribe such feelings to humans based on that is because
of we know how we feel when we act that way.  To deny similar conclusions
from the behavior fish is only possible because we don't know what it feels
like to be a fish.  Ignorance of a cause isn't a particularly good argument
against its existence, though.

So, is shipping a fish for 3 days cruel?

Doug

Doug Karpa Wilson

Department of Biology
Jordan Hall
Indiana University
Bloomington, IN 47405


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• BOUNCE killietalk at aka_org: Non-member submission from ["Tom ROCHE" <TROCHE at itt_state.ga.us>]
• From: owner-killietalk at aka_org (by way of Barry Cooper <bjc3 at direcpc_com>)

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