• julietOscarEcho@sh.itjust.works
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    1 year ago

    So much of that is misplaced anthropomorphism though. Throughout history hundreds of millions of people have wrung the neck of a chicken or dropped a lobster into boiling water. Almost none of them have cried.

    TV melodrama is a weird way to decide which actions have moral weight. We’re particularly sensitive to the deaths of mammals because we see human qualities in their suffering.

    • the post of tom joad@sh.itjust.works
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      1 year ago

      So much of that is misplaced anthropomorphism though.

      And i actually have a running hypothesis in my head that the whole term “anthropomorphism” is a false concept based on human’s endless capacity for hubris and arrogance, like “manifest destiny”. In my view ‘anthropomorphism’ as a term defining human traits in animals requires one to first have faith that traits such as “thinking” and “feeling” are limited to humans.

      If you believe in evolution how realistic would it even be that we are alone in being able to reason? We’re full of ourselves the moment we forget we’re simply monkeys with the most powerful combination to come out of evolution so far: written language so that we might retain the lessons of generations past, and hands to build tools.

      • julietOscarEcho@sh.itjust.works
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        1 year ago

        Who said anything about us being alone in reasoning? Sheep not driving cars and chickens not keeping diaries have better factual basis than the west being destined for white men, so I don’t see the analogy except that they both involve exploitation.

        I dunno I’m exposed to way more people who do cutsie voices for their “fur babies” than people willing to argue that our murderous, destructive species is exclusively superior. But then I guess that’s because I spend more time with IRL friends than on vegan forums, which I imagine attract edgelords looking to troll.