
Introduction to Sentience - sethbannon
http://www.animal-ethics.org/sentience-section/
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ggm
Once you decide that self-awareness is an arbiter of actions towards conscious
animals, (I guess in some sense, 'conscious' now has to mean ... is capable of
showing its self-aware) a lot of things have two sides. Because deciding
something doesn't display self-awareness implies some actions you wouldn't
take, you might now take. So, it takes on a burden, of being a decision-logic
question with strong implications.

Peter Singer (boo! hooray! (he has fans and enemies) both) seems to say that
in some situations, viewed as an almost economic minmax question, cows (who we
have good reason to beleive are self aware) may benefit as a species, from
complying with a regime where we (force) feed them, breed them and then kill
and eat them.

The hooray side (meat eaters?) are very happy. the Boo side (the animal
ethicially minded vegetarians?) are not.

