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Posting-Version: version B 2.10.2 9/18/84 SMI; site sun.uucp
Path: utzoo!linus!decvax!decwrl!sun!alan
From: alan@sun.uucp (Alan Marr)
Newsgroups: net.bio
Subject: Re: Suffering and CNS
Message-ID: <2897@sun.uucp>
Date: Wed, 16-Oct-85 00:13:57 EDT
Article-I.D.: sun.2897
Posted: Wed Oct 16 00:13:57 1985
Date-Received: Thu, 17-Oct-85 20:42:49 EDT
References: <2375@sjuvax.UUCP>
Reply-To: alan@sun.UUCP (Alan Marr)
Distribution: net
Organization: Sun Microsystems, Inc.
Lines: 38
Summary: 

In article <2375@sjuvax.UUCP> tmoody@sjuvax.UUCP (T. Moody) writes:

>Advocates of vegetarianism often appeal to a general moral principle
>that proscribes the unnecessary infliction of suffering.
>... In particular, do we
>have very much understanding of how developed a central nervous system
>an organism would have to have to be capable of suffering?
>
>... Are the
>structures which are involved in pain in mammals even present in fish?
>As I understand it, fish "brains" are quite rudimentary, amounting to
>little more than a large ganglion.
>... How "sophisticated" is the nervous system of a chicken,
>compared to that of a mammal?
>
>How plausible is the claim that any organism that can be classically
>conditioned is necessarily capable of suffering?  In my view, the
>moral dispute needs more empirical basis, which is why I am posting
>this.
>
>Todd Moody                 |  {allegra|astrovax|bpa|burdvax}!sjuvax!tmoody
>Philosophy Department      |
>St. Joseph's U.            |         "I couldn't fail to
>Philadelphia, PA   19131   |          disagree with you less."


There will be a genetic engineering solution to the moral  
problems associated with eating meat, i.e. animals with the  
pertinent brain functions absent. 
 
Which makes me wonder if single cell cultivation could be made
economic enough on a large scale (industrial meat), that might
also remove the objections against meat eating.

---
{ucbvax,decwrl}!sun!alan

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