Explain to me why should I care about the lives of animals. Coming from an atheist perspective

Explain to me why should I care about the lives of animals. Coming from an atheist perspective.

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Because many of them are more intelligent and cognizant than most people I know. Theism has nothing to do with it.

Because if you kill an animal for enjoyment you’re a sick fuck. If you’re killing for consumption you are surviving.

Because of altruism and empathy.

And many aren't. Can I kill the ones that are less intelligent without guilt?
I don't care if an animal dies. No enjoyment, no consumption. I do not enjoy to see an animal suffer, but logically I see no reason to care about it.

Suffering, whether "natural" or caused by humans, should be minimised because it is bad in isolation, whether a supernatural entity exists or not.

Even from a religious perspective, animals dont have souls. So go ahead.

But why is an animal suffering bad? This already assumes I care about animals, which I don't.

Our neighbors once accused our Huskies of killing their chickens, it later turned out to be a family of raccoons getting into to coop. Dead chicken in hand he threatened to kill our dogs and demanded we repay for his loss. We paid what was due $30 for 2 chickens but I swore at that moment if he ever laid a hand on our dogs he and his family would not live to see another day. Also, who gives a fuck about chickens, they’re semi retarded just like their owners.

If animals are considered so smart. Why are people so surprised when they do something semi-intelligent?

It's almost like people consider them stupid as fuck by default.

There's not really any reason.

Sure why not, I would but prefer to buy cheap meat at the supermarket cleaned and ready to cook.

From atheistic perspective, there's no reason you should care about lives of humans.

because animals are just as stupid as you for not believing in god

I know. Ultimately I think people are picking and choosing what is or isn't worth keeping around. If I decide that humans are the only ones that matter, why can't I?

We have been conditioned to think of them as stupid and without a consciousness to make ourselves feel superior. When reality contradicts this narrative we think we have discovered something new but rather just found a crack in paradigm.

But why does intelligence matter in our decision? It's not like a dolphin is of any use to us even if it was smart.

But it is aware, that is the difference.

Many animals have many or all of the same pain receptors that you have. Many also have complex neural and cognitive processing that allows for emotions such as fear.

If you are aware that animals feel pain and emotion, then choosing to kill and eat them is choosing to cause pain and suffering. Just because you don't view that pain or suffering as important doesn't change what it is.

None of this has anything to do with a higher power or an afterlife, just with the choice of whether or not to inflict suffering on another being. Right here, in the real world.

How much suffering is worth you doing what you want? That's a question only you can answer, but you don't need a god to answer it.

Huh... That's actually rather though provoking.
Still gonna eat and subjugate them.
But it really does make you think...

Many people are not aware of the world they live in, consciousness is not species specific.

Acknowledge that a sentient being suffered and died for your food. They dont care about the karmic stuff, they just want to a
>(you)

>aware
Of what? How do we know?

There isn't a need to bring animals into the discussion. Assume the existence of an entity that can experience the world, in both good and bad respects. All things being equal, a moral being should attempt to reduce things that are objectively bad, and therefore seek to prevent other beings suffering, whether mental or physical.

I suffer all the time for many reasons. Prisoners suffer in cells, yet I do not think they should be free. Children are made to suffer to grow as people. Plants are made to suffer in their own way when we devour them, the existence of a 'brain' doesn't change that. The grime under my finger nails is killed when I wash my hands. Much of that could be eukaryotic.
Why do I care about 'suffering'?

But animals being my equal isn't an objective statement. I don't need to care about them.

You don't need to care about anything.

Also, to add onto this one, if their death could be instant and therefore painless, is that fine?

Exactly. So it is not any more or less logical to draw the line between man and everything else.

You don't come from atheistic perspective. You come from nihilistic perspective. From that perspective you don't need to care about anything and everything is pointless. Especially this retarded thread.

Like I said, no one says you have to care about suffering.

I'm simply making the argument that one could, from an atheistic viewpoint, reach the conclusion that it is wrong to eat meat.

You choosing to disagree with that doesn't make it false. It answers the question of how much suffering you personally are willing to accept to do what you want.

Is painless murder not murder? My point is about personal choice to either kill a thing or not kill it. If you choose to kill something that has the potential to go on to have pleasant experiences, that potential is gone. That is a form of suffering to me, maybe not to you.

In that case, why pose the question? Your responses suggest any answers are irrelevant.

Existentialism isn't nihilism. If you do not believe in a higher power you are an existentialist.
Nihilism is saying nothing matters, and crying about it.
Existentialism is saying nothing matters, which is true (according to atheism), and nothing else. You make your own values.

Existentialism also says this retarded thread is retarded and pointless.