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0 pointsNayamAmarshe1y ago0 comments

> I don't think I could give you a ethically consistent

That's what cognitive dissonance is. Giving one's senses (in this case the taste buds or the ego 'I' or the mind) more importance than something factual or apparent.

> I am not convinced about the rest of the animal kingdom.

If you take consciousness to mean intelligence, then sure. If you take consciousness to be separate from intelligence and senses, being the energy or force that brings forth the signs of what we call 'life', then I see no reason to believe that every single living entity has consciousness.

The only difference is in the type of body provided to that conscious living entity. Just like how some humans are born without sight, some without hearing, some without the ability to speak. It doesn't mean they're less conscious, they still are an observer observing things through their senses.

Unless and until one can come up with a clear definition of consciousness (you don't need to, just read nyāya philosophy and you'll save thousands of years of efforts), they will not be able to get over their biases based on unintelligent thoughts and cognitive dissonance.

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deanCommie1y ago

No, I agree.

I think humans had exactly the same cognitive dissonance about slavery and racial-based discrimination (in all it's forms) for most of our history.

It wasn't so much that their HATE was so powerful that it superseded logical consistency, but rather the CONVENIENCE of this discrimination was so attractive. Classism is the same way.

We make up ipso facto justifications to continue to perpetuate inequality and exploitation that benefits us. The most recent version of this is globalization and all the arguments the west makes for how our reliance on 3rd world labour improves their livelihood. (It does; it's also more complex than that)

I'm not going to pretend that I WANT to be vegetarian or WANT to align my logical ethics with my actions. I clearly do not, I find eating meat too convenient and brings me too much joy.

But I do want to want to...

NayamAmarsheOP1y ago

I really appreciate your insight.

> I find eating meat too convenient and brings me too much joy.

Yes but then you have the question: Is your convenience worth more than someone's life? Does your joy justify someone's throat being cut?

I'd say that this is not the same as slavery or racial-based discrimination since this is someone's aliveness at stake and the only crime that they committed was being in a different body than you. This is not about forcing them to work or saying mean things, but immense pain and extreme suffering which causes the consciousness to leave the body.

> But I do want to want to...

That shows that your intelligence agrees but the mind, being connected to the senses, wants to divert attention towards sense pleasures.

Sāṁkhya philosophy would say that a human whose intelligence is stolen by the senses is no better than an animal: eating, sleeping, mating and defending. Now, I'm not saying this to be judgemental but this metaphysical system gives you a lens to see and act in the world.

What then separates us from being a human if we're no better than a pig rolling in dirt if all we know is running after one temporary sense pleasure to the next? and what if somehow after you die, your consciousness takes the body of a similar animal? (Unless of course you believe in Creatio ex nihilo).

These are questions to ask in life. The human birth is special because while being similar to literally every other species, this birth is the only kind of birth that allows one to philosophize and ask important questions in life.

Being a vegetarian is easy in today's world, especially if you're privileged to be earning more money than 5 families in South Asia combined. All it really takes, is accepting intelligence's advice, instead of letting the mind (which controls the senses) reign.

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