this post was submitted on 18 Oct 2025
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What else should we base it on? Do you think hitting a fly is as cruel as hitting a human?
Yes.
I think the consequences are less severe socially and personally, but yeah I'd say it's just as cruel. Do you think it's more okay to hit an unintelligent person because they're not as intelligent?
Edit (forgot to answer the actual question): I think ethically the answer is pretty obviously 'just don't be cruel'. But practically consequentialism is what most people opt for.
As someone who doesn't believe in objective morality, I think how far people can/will be selfish is very different for each person and a strict generalised set of rules is ridiculous to expect.
Obviously the best thing an individual can do environmentally speaking and to reduce the most harm to others is kill themselves. Just as obviously that is an insanely absurd choice. The rest is finding the optimal point where you're reducing as much harm to others without causing too much to yourself.
No I don't think intelligence differences inside of a species matters at all for cruelty.
However intelligence between different species does matter for me, at least as much as the cuteness factor which shouldn't matter but lets be honest for most people does.
There's also the threat and annoyance factor hence mosquito<fly<butterfly.
Btw thanks guys for all the replies and civil discussion have a good night everyone.
(Note: I don't think hitting a fly is as cruel as hitting a human.)
On the flip side though, pigs are smarter than human kids up to 3 years old, plus a great many humans with mental disabilities. Doesn't stop people from eating pigs.
But also, if given the choice I'd save the life of a two-year-old or a person with severe mental deficiencies over saving a pig's life.
I've been vegan for almost a decade and I don't think anyone, vegan or omnivore, actually bases their ethical choices concerning animals with intelligence as a priority.
depends on the human