“Many people like eating #meat, but most are reluctant to harm things that have minds. […] This dissonance motivates people to deny minds to animals. […] Animals considered appropriate for human consumption are ascribed diminished mental capacities. […] Meat eaters are motivated to deny minds to food animals when they are reminded of the link between meat and #AnimalSuffering.”
Just imagine you were used since childhood to eating (puppies of) farmed dogs, cats, dolphins and monkeys. Animals crammed into dark little places, maimed and overfed for the minimum number of days necessary for their meat to be economically viable. Imagine that everyone around you had done so for as long as you can remember. And imagine people kept cute shrimp, hens, goats and sheep as pets, giving them names, taking them to the vet, buying food and toys for them, etc.
Can you see the issue now? Are you willing to break out of that cognitive dissonance?
I guess the study suffers from cultural bias, specifically #WEIRD bias. But I haven’t read it in full.
@tripu It confuses me that dog and horse are very low on “edibility”, both are considered edible in some cultures.