Sometimes I wonder when it is morally acceptable to kill animals. Since humans are mentally more capable than animals, it makes sense that a human life is worth more than an animal life. So animal killing should be justifiable in terms of self defense. But is human life enough more valuable than animal life to justify things like eating meat and wearing fur or leather clothing? Eating meat is definitely more convenient than trying to find protein (or other nutrients typically gotten from animals) from other sources, and it tastes good. Similarly, fur and leather can look or feel nice. But I'm not sure how to figure out if that's enough to justify killing an animal. On the opposite end from self defense there is animal cruelty; harming animals for pleasure. I think we can all agree that that is wrong, because if nothing else, we as a society do not want to encourage sadism. When killing is acceptable also depends on the type of animal. Insects are so unintelligent that it seems as though killing them would only be bad if it causes significant damage to the ecosystem. Similarly, fish seem less intelligent than other animals, so it's hard for me to find an issue with eating well-farmed fish.
What are your thoughts on the matter?
What are your thoughts on the matter?
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