The Paradox of Affection:
WHY WE LOVE SOME ANIMALS AND EAT OTHERS
Professor Andrew Knight
Adjunct Veterinary Professor of Animal Welfare
Murdoch University School of Veterinary Medicine, Australia
The overall message argues that our treatment of farmed animals is ethically unjustifiable and largely ignored due to cultural norms and psychological coping mechanisms. People resolve the conflict between caring about animals and eating them by devaluing farm animals’ emotional lives. Yet, research shows many animals are intelligent, emotional, and capable of suffering much like humans. Even "humane" slaughter methods often involve significant pain and fear. The comparison to slavery highlights the exploitation and denial of natural lives. Overall, the text calls for a serious reconsideration of how we treat sentient beings.
1. Why do we love some animals, but eat others?
We experience cognitive dissonance—a psychological conflict that arises when our actions contradict our values. While we form emotional bonds with pets like dogs and cats, we eat cows, pigs, and chickens despite their equal ability to feel pain and emotions. To reconcile this conflict, people often subconsciously devalue the emotional lives of farmed animals. This moral inconsistency is shaped by cultural norms rather than biological or ethical logic.
2. How can we ignore animal suffering when consuming them?
To avoid feeling guilty, people adjust their beliefs to justify the consumption of animal products. Although they may be aware of the cruelty in industrial farming—such as confinement, painful procedures, and distress during slaughter—they downplay or ignore it. By seeing animals as less sentient or less capable of suffering, people alleviate their moral discomfort. This psychological mechanism enables them to continue harmful habits without challenging their ethical beliefs.
3. What did your research on animal intelligence find?
Studies show that many animals possess complex mental and emotional abilities, including problem-solving, empathy, communication, and understanding others' intentions. These are traits often cited as the basis for giving humans special moral consideration. But research demonstrates that such capacities are widespread in the animal kingdom. This blurs the line between humans and animals in meaningful ways.
4. Is the suffering of animals as significant to them as our suffering is to us?
Yes—scientific evidence confirms that animals experience a wide range of emotions, both negative (pain, fear, grief) and positive (joy, affection, playfulness). They grieve the loss of companions and respond emotionally to their environments, just as humans do. Their suffering isn't lesser simply because they are a different species.
5. Morally speaking, how similar are animals to humans?
Animals that are capable of sentient experiences—like feeling pain, joy, fear, and love—deserve moral consideration. From an ethical standpoint, the capacity to suffer or enjoy life is what makes a being morally relevant. Since many animals share this capacity, there’s no good justification for excluding them from our moral circle. Treating them as inferior based solely on species is a form of discrimination known as speciesism.
6. What are your views on so-called humane slaughter or killing?
While some methods are technically more humane than others, the reality of modern slaughterhouses often involves significant suffering due to poor training, faulty equipment, and systemic abuse. Even in developed countries, undercover investigations have documented shocking mistreatment. These practices highlight that even with regulations in place, humane slaughter is often more of an ideal than a reality. For many animals, their final moments are filled with fear and pain.
7. Is the treatment of farmed animals similar to slavery?
Farmed animals, like slaves, are bred for the benefit of others, confined, and exploited. But the ethical violation is arguably greater for animals, as they are killed while still very young—before they can experience most of life. Their natural behaviors and desires are denied entirely. This exposes the deep moral problems with commodifying sentient beings for profit and consumption.
8. How ethical is our treatment of farmed animals?
Modern intensive farming prioritizes efficiency and profit over animal welfare. Animals are confined in crowded, unnatural environments, denied space, fresh air, or meaningful social interactions. Many undergo painful mutilations without anesthesia and live short, stressful lives. Killing them prematurely also deprives them of a future that could contain positive experiences.
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