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Comment by npongratz | Hacker News Reader

Some might even chant, "This is necessary," over and over.

Since we can't do photosynthesis or break down some rather toxic molecules like our more primitive siblings, we must eat organic matter that once was alive. No need to delve too much in some militant vegan fantasies and rationalizations.

Plant vs animal makes little difference from rational point of view, both feel pain and we have no clue telling which one more, not that it matters in this topic. Health wise plants are better, but ideal is as always some middle ground.

Biohack our guts and we can go on whole lives without harming much, jainists would probably be interested.

> both feel pain and we have no clue telling which one more

I never understood that dumb argument. After so much evolution lead us to being an empathic species, of course we have clue of others pain.

Tear off some leaves of a tree in a public space

Tear off some pets legs in a public space

Observe people around you reaction. They’ll have a clue.

The argument as I understand it is that empathy and the “clues“ are imprinted based on social norms. Little children will happily rip out plants but will start to cry if they see or hear somebody else crying. One theory is that it is all about self-preservation: An environment where one animal cries without being taken care of is considered dangerous and inherently unsafe for self. Not so with plant life.

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