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> As a meat eater ... I don't lack empathy for humans.

As a meat eater ... you cannot yet know what you lack/you'd gain ;)

> pet owners, their empathy for pets seems to reduce their empathy for fellow humans

It's funny that when someone adopts a rabbit, pig, or chicken as a pet, they often (based on anecdotes) stop eating that specific type of meat, but they don't typically stop eating other animals.

Something changes when people decide to stop eating meat.

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>As a meat eater ... you cannot yet know what you lack/you'd gain ;)

No, I'd even grant that my pov could even be a sign of lowered empathy, but as my second part was meant to indicate. On the other hand developing an empathy for other animals can lead to lowered empathy for the 'murderers' of those animals.

If you empathise with foos and bars, and foos are harming bars, surely that would impact your empathy for foos.

I believe empathy isn't zero-sum. Feeling for animals doesn't mean their empathy for humans diminishes.

Btw, most vegans used to be meat eaters previously.

As my SO says: "they (carnists) just don't know ... yet".

It’d be interesting to read more about the psychology of “when people decide to stop eating meat”. Conversely, I’ve talked with individuals who were raised culturally vegetarian who started eating meat as an adult.

Interesting topics all around.

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