Participation
4

  • Completed the Introductory EA Virtual Program
  • Completed the In-Depth EA Virtual Program
  • Attended an EAGx conference
  • Received career coaching from 80,000 Hours

Comments
5

Thanks for the detailed reply!

You’re right it was a provocative question trying to cut to the chase.

But here’s the thing, probably every single person has people close to them that they consider family. So yeah a random stranger would be less important to ME than my own mother, but that person also has someone that cares for them like I would for my mother. How do you explain to them that their life was sacrificed for x amount of chicken?

I guess for me, there is no amount of farmed animals that’s worth a human life. For as long as investing in animal welfare means that someone dies a preventable death, every single penny should be spent on humans.

And this is not a simple inconvenience that we’re considering. It’s not a paper cut for the of x animal lives. It’s human lives for animal lives. Would you give your life for animals?

Things to keep in mind

  • Realistically, spending money on animal welfare does benefit humans. Our general desire to not cause pain and suffering when we don’t have to, is important, and satisfying it would probably benefit us and the society in many ways.

I would change my answer more towards the right if someone could show me some research or arguments for that.

But convincing me that any amount of farmed animals is worth more than a human life.. I’m not sure what that would take.

Humans are just more important. If you disagree, how many chickens would you trade your mother's life for?

This feels right to say, but open to arguments against it.

The only context for me where it would make more sense to spend it on AW, would be if somehow the ripple effect from doing so would benefit humans more than investing it directly into global health.

Maybe by improving nutrition, or improving global morals by not allowing other living beings to suffer, or just having a clear conscience.

I'm not saying an animal suffering is right or acceptable, but it comes second, and will always come second to me, at least while human suffering is still so so high.

Removing the hyphens that are there from the book format would greatly improve readability. Excellent text, otherwise. Made me think a lot.

such a great way to not have to compromise one or the other 

I feel like poverty or low quality-of-life should be in the list of examples.