Lalo

I think it’s not so much not caring or not knowing, it’s accepting it as part of the cost of living. People who live in contact with nature (and really basically everyone until a few centuries ago) largely understand other creatures feel pain, in fact animists credit them way more intelligence than even our current scientific understanding.

But at the same time they also understand that living things get hurt and die all the time, and that’s part of the cycle of life. In fact, most living beings “eat” other living beings (if we define eat broadly enough) to survive. If we return again to our animists, they often have rituals of thanking the creatures they consume.

What’s new is this very urban, very unrealistic idea of going about life not killing anything and causing no harm at all to anything. I find that nonsensical and a sign of lack of contact with and understanding of nature.

Cruelty is defined as intentionally causing unnecessary harm, or more harm than necessary.

Now sure, we can argue which form of butchering things for food is more ethical. I’ll definitely vote with my wallet and buy food obtained ethically whenever I can. But unless you figure out how to photosynthesize, I shall continue to consume the remains of other living beings, thank you very much.