DanielLC comments on [link] SMBC on utilitarianism and vegatarianism. - Less Wrong

2 Post author: mkehrt 16 October 2011 03:29AM

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Comment author: DanielLC 01 November 2012 07:31:28AM 1 point [-]

There are possible ways to die that are worse than old age. They are not how you are going to die if you're raised as food.

Who would it be a cost to?

You. It would be good for you if you existed, and it cannot be good for you if you don't exist. It can't be bad for you either, but opportunity costs aren't real costs. They're what you get when you set something else as a baseline.

Comment author: MugaSofer 01 November 2012 04:07:58PM 0 points [-]

... point.

Surely dying young has a higher opportunity cost than dying of old age, regardless of other costs?

Comment author: DanielLC 01 November 2012 11:56:43PM 1 point [-]

True, but it's still lower than the opportunity cost of not being born at all.

Comment author: MugaSofer 05 November 2012 09:00:06AM 0 points [-]

So you admit killing animals for food is wrong, but claim vegetarianism is worse because it creates less lives?

Comment author: MixedNuts 05 November 2012 10:27:46AM 1 point [-]

That sounds wrong. If there was a weird cult that birthed lots of children and killed them painlessly at 18, I would try to shut it down.

Comment author: MugaSofer 05 November 2012 11:18:29AM *  0 points [-]

Indeed.

EDIT: this seems relevant.

Comment author: DanielLC 06 November 2012 12:39:38AM 0 points [-]

Huh?

I'm saying that raising people for food would be better than not raising them at all (so long as their lives are worth living).

I'm given to understand that on factory farms, animals lives are not worth living. As such, vegetarianism is good.

Comment author: MugaSofer 06 November 2012 09:16:44AM 0 points [-]

Ah, OK. That makes more sense.

I thought you were claiming that the utility of being born outweighed the disutility of growing up in a factory farm, dying violently etc.