Would vegetarians or vegans ever consider eating jellyfish/cnidaria or insects?!
Of course, I'm speaking to vegans/vegetarians who are so for ethical reasons rather than health reasons. I'm also asking in reference to the pain explanation.
Before someone says, "already been answered" I'm going to mention that it hasn't. Previous answers include "No because it's an animal", "No because it's gross" and "No because it's meat" but I'd like to have a more philosophical explanation as to why jellyfish aren't included rather than for traditional reasons (which are what those reasons are--except for the last which is a semantics issue).
I was just wondering because cnidaria/jellyfish lack cephalization or ganglia or brains for that matter. The are a net of nerves without any localization. Do you still believe they have pain consciousness or no?
Also, insects lack distinct fore/mid/hind brain distinctions and thus lack telencephalons... (Telencephalons are part of the forebrain whose functions include a center of consciousness.) They do have ganglia and brains though.
Reptiles do have telencephalons but they are not as developed as in mammals. They lack cerebral cortices (higher learning and consciousness). How about those?
Anyhoo... I'm just asking out of curiosity. Danke!
Answers:
Best Answer - Chosen by Voters
I would argue that insects do feel pain, based on their behaviour. But when you think about it in evolutionary terms, pain is a signal of tissue damage and if that is occurring from an external source an animal can move to avoid it. So I wouldn't expect sessile animals like bivalves to experience pain but I would many of the other invertebrates. Of course the adaptation may not have arisen so early on to be found in every phyla, but vegans err on the side of caution by avoiding all animal products until we know for sure.
vegan biologist
I never understood the "pain" argument for vegetarians and vegans. If I sedate you then kill you, you wouldn't feel any pain but it's still a damn mean thing to do! Just because a living, moving creature doesn't feel pain doesn't mean it's okay to kill it and eat it.
Plus, those things feed other animals...we don't need to eat them.
Vegan
eeeuuuggghh @ jelly fish, noooooo, i wouldnt have eaten that when i did eat meat
and same for inscets
its just a given, in a lot of countries that you wouldnt eat jelly fish, but, in some, theydo, all cultures are differnt
its a good q, and a fair one as well, but generally if you dont eat meat for ethical reasons, you wont eat most things that are considreed 'alive' even if they seem 'dumb
haha, yeah watch other animals eat bugs, it doesnt look nice ;-P
and to be authentic, you have to eat them as the animals do, alive and wriggling ;-D
I personally believe that even plants are conscious of themselves and others. I also believe that is up to each person to make thier own decisions when it come to what they want to eat. If you feel good about eating it (worms, brains, yougurt, whatever), then go ahead and eat it! If you have doubts about what you are eating, then don't eat it. You decide. Don't let others make choices for you. Don't judge others based on what they eat. Learn to cook and get to know exactly what you are eating.
No for several reasons:
1) I do not know beyond a shadow of a doubt that those animals can't feel pain. Science can, and has, been wrong plenty of times. I do not trust science enough to eat any animal.
2) It is meat. That is not a semantics statement. It is meat. If it came from an animal that had to die so I can eat it, then that is what it is. I have said I will not eat meat and so I will not.
3) Also, who are we to define how evolved some animal is? Now I do not think reptiles are going to be doing calculus anytime soon. However, we used to think we were the only animals who could communicate through language. Now we know that elephants, monkeys, dolphins, etc all communicate in some way or other that is widely understood and taught, ergo language. For all we know, reptiles can think, they just can't communicate. What we THINK is correct for how to define intelligence in humans may have evolved completely differently in a different species of animal.
4) As for insects not having consciousness, praying mantises can be kept as a pet. They live for a year and can be taught simple tricks like walking up your arm to drink from a tiny cup you are holding. They also eventually develop a familiarity to a human if you keep them as a pet. They will eventually stay on your hand, arm or shoulder instead of trying to walk away after only a few weeks. They seem conscious to me.
Interesting question. I for one would not eat jelly fish, pain or no pain, simply b/c they seem almost alien. I suppose it would be a cultural thing. I also would not feel comfortable eating them as they are similar to animals(more so than they are to plants).
As for insects... I have always had a fascination with bugs. I would never be able to eat an insect simply for this fact. Like the jelly fish, I associate insects more with animals than plants. I have always had a desire to taste insects for myself, however my respect for them as a living creature outweighs my curiosity to taste them.
Reptiles are another story. While there still needs to be many more studies does with reptiles, it is known that they can perceive pain. Their nervous system may not be as developed at a mammals, but they can feel pain, be it on a decreased scale.
I would think that, from an ethical perspective, bivalves in particular might not be objectionable to a veg*n. They do not have a nervous system as in other "higher" life forms, and do not appear to possess sentience as we know it. On the other hand, they do contain saturated fat and cholesterol, indicating an "animal" origin, and a rationale for avoiding them from a more health conscious veg*n.
Insects and even jellyfish seem to possess sentience, unlike bivalves. I could see a veg*n wanting to avoid them since they not only appear to experience pain but to also have an awareness that simpler organisms do not demonstrate. Of course it seems a bit odd that many, if not most, veg*ns do not appear to have any reservations with regards to killing insects and arachnids (or other vermin) if they are pests, only with eating them.
By the way, insects are not as bad as they are made out to be if prepared well and if you can get past the squeamishness of eating bugs. I went to a museum where they were selling "Crickettes," or small boxes of crickets in several different flavors (sour cream & onion, bbq, original). My daughter, wife, and I all cautiously sampled them and found them to be actually quite good, reminiscent of sunflower seeds without any gooeyness, just crispy goodness. My 4 year old daughter found them good enough to finish the entire (small) box.
http://insectcandy.bizland.com/store/pag…
Unless one can provide beyond all scepticism of both myself & the science community that a certain species cannot feel pain, then yes i'd potentially consider it.
Would i eat such species though? There are other factors such as taste/texture etc that may off-put me.
Its an interesting question & one i'm not experienced enough to answer so due to my skeptic nature i'd immediately say no until i have some degree of knowledge to make an informed choice
vegetarian
even at that would the jellyfish actually have much nutritional benefit?