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Hypothetically, at what point could you kill andor eat meat?


JW
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I was thinking about the movie Castaway the other day, and it made me think about what I would do if I were in that situation.

many questions come to mind:

 

* if you were literally starving to death, could you kill and eat meat?

* where would u draw the line? Fish, rodents, birds, hogs?

* could u kill in self defense? what if your life was threatened by a carniverous animal?

* for that matter, what if your child or pet was being attacked by an animal?

 

Being a city dwellar, I have a relatively easy time being vegan. what if I was born and raised in the far north with the inuit or in an african tribe in an arid environment?

We are so fortunate to have the choices we do. As incomprehensible it seems that I could kill an animal, if I were placed in "survival mode"...... I'm just not sure......................

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I don't really think anyone knows what they would do in a critical situation until it happens. If I was starving I'd like to think that I would not kill, but live off the land. IMO if you or your loved ones are attacked by any species, you have a right to defend yourself and your loved ones.

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If I was being attacked by anything, and I felt in danger of serious injury or death, then I think I would probably completely flip out on whatever it might be and try to cause as much damage to it as I could, I am pretty certain, but I could be wrong. If I was just attacked by a dog, I think I wouldn't have to do much to get it to back off, and would also stand a chance of out-running it. But if I was attacked by a lion or something, I would probably do whatever I could to the lion. As far as starving goes, I am not so sure if I have that ability. I imagine it's more likely that I would try to find other food until I became so weak that I physically couldn't hunt by the time that I mentally am prepared to.

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I don't really think anyone knows what they would do in a critical situation until it happens.

Oh I know what I would do. Before I got too weak I'd start trying to kill. Same if it was me and some humans. Sorry guys.

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I don't really think anyone knows what they would do in a critical situation until it happens.

Oh I know what I would do. Before I got too weak I'd start trying to kill. Same if it was me and some humans. Sorry guys.

 

MENTAL NOTE: do not go on outdoor adventure trip with Jay

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I don't really think anyone knows what they would do in a critical situation until it happens.

Oh I know what I would do. Before I got too weak I'd start trying to kill. Same if it was me and some humans. Sorry guys.

 

Yeah we'll see who cracks first

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I think hypothetical 'what-ifs" are pretty useless exercises. Non veg*ans tend to like to use them ("your kid or your dog...who would you save!").

 

Give extreme circumstances, people have been driven to cannibalism or extremes of behavior that they never would have imagined themselves capable of.

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I think hypothetical 'what-ifs" are pretty useless exercises. Non veg*ans tend to like to use them ("your kid or your dog...who would you save!").

 

Give extreme circumstances, people have been driven to cannibalism or extremes of behavior that they never would have imagined themselves capable of.

 

Totally agree with you Kathyrn.

 

I will just add that obviously, every living being, human and non, wants to live/survive. That being the case, I would like to think that given any situation, even the most extreme situation, I would make the kindest choice possible that would allow me to survive/live. What is the 'kindest' choice depends obviously on the circumstances.

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I think hypothetical 'what-ifs" are pretty useless exercises. Non veg*ans tend to like to use them ("your kid or your dog...who would you save!").

 

Give extreme circumstances, people have been driven to cannibalism or extremes of behavior that they never would have imagined themselves capable of.

 

But, you still took the time to respond

 

Yes, I agree that some hypotheticals are useless. But ya gotta admit....they can be a lot of fun!

I love the "what - if" scenarios. How better to truly explore your own ethics?

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You mean humans. Maybe we should look to our cousins for moral guidance

 

Below is a passage from the book Shadows of Forgotten Ancestors, written by Drs. Sagan and Druyan, about an experiment performed on macaque monkeys.

 

"In the annals of primate ethics, there are some accounts that have the ring of parable. In a laboratory setting, macaques were fed if they were willing to pull a chain and electrically shock an unrelated macaque whose agony was in plain view through a one-way mirror. Otherwise, they starved. After learning the ropes, the monkeys frequently refused to pull the chain; in one experiment only 13% would do so - 87% preferred to go hungry. One macaque went without food for nearly two weeks rather than hurt its fellow. Macaques who had themselves been shocked in previous experiments were even less willing to pull the chain. The relative social status or gender of the macaques had little bearing on their reluctance to hurt others.

 

"If asked to choose between the human experimenters offering the macaques this Faustian bargain and the macaques themselves - suffering from real hunger rather than causing pain to others-our own moral sympathies do not lie with the scientists. But their experiments permit us to glimpse in non-humans a saintly willingness to make sacrifices in order to save others - even those who are not close kin. By conventional human standards, these macaques - who have never gone to Sunday school, never heard of the Ten Commandments, never squirmed through a single junior high school civics lesson - seem exemplary in their moral grounding and their courageous resistance to evil. Among these macaques, at least in this case, heroism is the norm.

 

"If the circumstances were reversed, and captive humans were offered the same deal by macaque scientists, would we do as well? (Especially when there is an authority figure urging us to administer the electric shocks, we humans are disturbingly willing to cause pain - and for a reward much more paltry than food is for a starving macaque [cf. Stanley Milgram, Obedience to Authority: An Experimental Overview].) In human history there are a precious few whose memory we revere because they knowingly sacrificed themselves for others. For each of them, there are multitudes who did nothing."

 

Discussing the macaque monkeys who chose to starve rather than inflict pain on another, Drs. Sagan and Druyan conclude, "Might we have a more optimistic view of the human future if we were sure our ethics were up to their standards?"

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According to Jane Goodall, primates rarely eat meat. I don't know why they eat meat, but then again I don't know why humans started eating meat either. Here's a link on the subject.

 

It is interesting that chimps, who eat the most meat, are viewed by some scientists as having a more violent society than other primates. (Maybe there's a connection somewhere between violence and meat eating ? )

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Another thing.. about that strong stomach acids..

 

I think the couple of times I went to Chipotle to have their VEG bowl or fajita.. Ive had wierd stomach the whole afternoon & evening afterwards. I dont remember where but it mentioned that their so called CLEAN BEANS have MEAT in them.

 

Several instances I have asked Chipotle management and they say no.

 

Can I sue them like the guy who sued McDonalds...?

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