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Oysters - vegan/vegetarian(!)

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  • 20-04-2010 12:34am
    #1
    cafecolour
    Registered Users Posts: 1,328 ✭✭✭


    I'm sure this won't appeal to most, but this is an interesting argument from a guy who is 'vegan' but eats oysters:

    http://www.slate.com/id/2248998/


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    #2
    Tar.Aldarion
    Moderators, Science, Health & Environment Moderators, Social & Fun Moderators, Society & Culture Moderators Posts: 60,092 Mod ✭✭✭✭Tar.Aldarion


    I will have a read of that now thanks :)

    As far as I know people can't say, with any confidence, that Oysters do feel pain and they can equally have little confidence in saying that they do not feel pain. Moreover, if they do feel pain, a meal of oysters would inflict pain on many creatures. Since it is so easy to avoid eating them, I do. I haven't looked into them though so may be wrong. Also pain is not my only critera for rights.

    Anyway, to the article!

    Edit: aha, I see they read and quoted animal liberation too.


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    #3
    smegmar
    Registered Users Posts: 795 ✭✭✭smegmar


    I've been looking for a reason to post this for ages
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W3TqbuxYP8Q


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    #4
    Shenshen
    Registered Users Posts: 9,453 ✭✭✭Shenshen


    I can't help wondering, does all this apply exclusively to oysters, or would all molluscs?


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    #5
    sensibleken
    Closed Accounts Posts: 5,650 ✭✭✭sensibleken


    well i wouldnt eat them because even the smell makes me feel ill but i wouldnt begrudge anyone else.

    the reliance on the pain arguement is quite problematic though. pain is subjective and we can only judge it in others by their behaviour, ie how they react to stimuli. the cleve backster experiments that plants can feel pain have been thouroughly debunked but i im not aware of any experiments on bivalves that would say that they do not feel pain.

    certainly certain ones like clams will protect themselves from damage by closing their shells and movement away from damage which would indicate that they can percieve damage but i dont know if they sense damage though the unpleasant experience of pain as they lack the physiololgy that 'higher' animals have to communicate and percieve such pain.

    does anyone know if the claims bi-valves cannot feel pain is backed up by any science?


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