h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Hmmm... not to be annoying, but what about all that water you drink? You don't precisely give that back.

I figure that if people didn't eat animals, the earth would soon be overpopulated by the things, seeing as we've removed most of the natural predators of cows, chickens, turkeys, pigs, and everything else.

I do make it a rule, however, to never eat anything I kept as a pet at one time (therefore no s or s, though are borderline).

You don't technically eat *cows*... just bulls that aren't used for mating. It's a tragedy to be born male in a bovine society.

I know an animal is consious - I've had pets.
And I've experienced pain and I fear of death, so I wouldn't wish it on any other animal.
Anyway farmed potatoes are all clones, most plants are clones of the original.

Too heavy a subject for you, Atari?

farmed potatoes arent all clones. you breed a cow just like you breed a potato. animals clearly arent conscious. they dont have the brain capacity. we dont eat pets anyway, so unless youve had a conscious pet cow, ill continue to eat beef, ta.

A bit of light silliness perhaps?

O yes, I agree that an animal is conscious. Just what it's conscious of is the subject of many a debate. Unfortunately, I like turkey and beef too much to worry about it. If anything, eating it removes it from a bad life - I don't know how many farms you've been on, but most animals live in absolutely atrocious conditions, rarely something that effects them as food because their lives are ended so quickly, but something that would be detrimental to the quality of their lives if they lived any longer.

Also, those animals that are generally eaten aren't exactly the brightest. Cattle are bloody stupid, and have been bred that way, so are chickens. So I doubt they worry about the state of their souls.

Excuse me while I go eat my chicken sandwich...

(pst amy: 75% of your arguments didnt help)

I guess there's a lot you could say on the subject...

I've always been more concerned about how they are kept when they are alive and how they are killed, rather than the fact of killing them per se. So I only eat free range and preferably organic, and preferably from a known source.
Not sure about the idea that if we didn't eat them then we'd be overrun - if we'd never eaten them they probably wouldn't exist any more, certainly not in their present genetically selected form anyway.

Bacon buttie anyone?

UH.

Stop, or i'll unsubscribe

see what narapoia wrote for why your arguments werent handy...

i think i like black pudding a lot. its all blood, but way tasty

STOP!!!

Two sides of the same argument. And quit tormenting Atari.

oh, alright. but we live in the real world atari, and its not a very nice place. you cant hide from...ABATOIRS!

ok, ll really stop now

Thanks Amy