[ExI] Jonathan Haidt

[spike]

> ...As part of that early research...posed questions... One of the most
revealing was: How would you react if a family accidentally ran over its own
dog, then cooked it and ate it for dinner? 


That is a good one.  After I stopped laughing (why did I stop laughing?) I
realized this is a hell of a good question.  I live in a neighborhood which
is over half Vietnamese, most of whom are first generation Americans, who
have no problem devouring dogs, or anything else that once moved.  Scarfing
the squashed pet would obviate having to slay some other farm beast to
provide the family sustenance, indirectly saving that creature, so for that
reason it would be not merely ethicially permissible to serve
Fido-sandwiches for dinner, it would be immoral to do otherwise.  To bury
perfectly good meat is wasting food, which is morally wrong.  Furthermore,
think of all the horse meat that this particular canine will no longer
devour, saving those graceful vegetarian beasts from the slaughterhouse.
The fact that the meal is mildly *compressed* should bother no one who has
ever eaten spam.  That this lunch once did tricks and slept with the
children is also irrelevant considering it's current condition.  

spike