In regards to eating meat

[Bring4th_Austin]

Monica, et al, the ideas you put forth are provocative in regards to the betrayal concept, but the only thing stopping this concept from extending to plants in a vegetable garden is personal opinion.

That opinion being, it's more "humane" to "violently slaughter" (as it would be put) a vegetable. You contend it's possible for the goats to feel betrayed when they are taken to be slaughtered, but I would contend it's possible for plants to feel that same betrayal.

Even things like fruit trees...how would that tree feel if it knew you were taking its fruit, which it put forth so it could procreate, and you not plant that seed? The fruit tree, especially one in an orchard for selling fruit, could feel very betrayed because none of the fruit it puts forward is being used for its true intended purpose.

Or how about lettuce, spinach, brocolli, and kale? Even if you utilize a "cut and come again" harvest method, once the plant starts bolting, how many gardeners continue to allow the plant to grow? In that plant's view, the human that "cared" for it its entire life simply came along, chopped off its limbs every other week, and then violently slaughtered it by uprooting it once it was no longer useful. I can hear the lettuce plant now, "I thought you loved me!!"

Then of course, single harvest plants I feel don't need an explanation.

Now, I understand it's your personal opinion that it's more moral to slaughter plant life than animal life, I just wish to illustrate that the betrayal concept plays in with that opinion. It easily extends to a vegetable garden when you meet a differing opinion.

in comparison to the killing of later 2D entities - cows, chickens, goats - I see a clear distinction.

For me the difference is consciousness. Take any "thing" that exists and what will you suppose its consciousness will expand to?

Obviously a bug will be different than an animal will be different than a man.

On top of that you have huge gaps in consciousness between evolved Humans and lower Man.

This should not be a hard concept for people to grasp. A simple example, how large a consciousness did you have at 5 years old compared to now? I will hope everyone says their consciousness has expanded since that age.

It's not a "hard" concept to grasp, but it is a questionable concept in my eyes, and you shouldn't assume that because someone disagrees with you that they don't "grasp" your understanding. Anyone can say "if you grasped my opinion, you'd agree with me!"

You're using your personal discernment to decide which 2D beings to slaughter. You can't say that this discernment isn't derived from opinion and speculation.

Your logic here in particular is flawed. My consciousness was indeed much larger at 5 years old, before going through the rigors of society. And if age had anything to do with this sort of matter, would you say it's better to slaughter a young goat rather than an old goat? I don't think this example you provided serves your true point though.