https://www.latimes.com/environment/sto ... us-farming
Here's the heart of the matter:
"Proponents of the bill say legislation is needed to position California as a leader in humane aquaculture. They point to a growing body of research showing that the eight-limbed creatures are self-aware and highly intelligent, and that turning them into food production material is cruel, inefficient and detrimental to the environment."
So babies in the womb aren't self aware?
California Special Stupid
-
Del
- Deacon
- Posts: 3448
- Joined: 11 Apr 2022, 22:08
- Location: Madison, WI
- Has thanked: 295 times
- Been thanked: 502 times
California Special Stupid
The first day of my college biology class, we were warned against "anthropomorphism." This is the tendency of foolish people to project human attributes onto animals. It is a childish characteristic of humans.
All animals are self-aware. Insects flee from fire, with the awareness that "heat will hurt me."
All mammals are especially self-aware. Pigs and cows and sheep react to their environment in complex ways, in accord with the nature of pigs and cows and sheep.
Octopi are especially aware and intelligent, for invertebrates.
As humans, we can choose which animals we wish to raise and eat, which animals we keep as pets, and which animals we wish to leave in their natural state. We mostly decide this based on how easy they are to domesticate and how delicious they are to eat.
Perhaps an octopus is more suitable as a pet than as a farm commodity. I don't really care, either way. All I know is that octopi are not humans, and should not be honored as the equal of humans.
Meanwhile, we shouldn't care if the child in the womb is "self-aware" or not. The child is an innocent human person, and the child deserves the dignity due to every human person. Every human person passes through the early stages of development along the way to maturity. I did, you did, everybody did.
This is why we must protect the unborn children with the same respect with which we wish to be protected.
All animals are self-aware. Insects flee from fire, with the awareness that "heat will hurt me."
All mammals are especially self-aware. Pigs and cows and sheep react to their environment in complex ways, in accord with the nature of pigs and cows and sheep.
Octopi are especially aware and intelligent, for invertebrates.
As humans, we can choose which animals we wish to raise and eat, which animals we keep as pets, and which animals we wish to leave in their natural state. We mostly decide this based on how easy they are to domesticate and how delicious they are to eat.
Perhaps an octopus is more suitable as a pet than as a farm commodity. I don't really care, either way. All I know is that octopi are not humans, and should not be honored as the equal of humans.
Meanwhile, we shouldn't care if the child in the womb is "self-aware" or not. The child is an innocent human person, and the child deserves the dignity due to every human person. Every human person passes through the early stages of development along the way to maturity. I did, you did, everybody did.
This is why we must protect the unborn children with the same respect with which we wish to be protected.
