memes

I get the ethics of that concept. however... it is a tool we can use?

Horror level sci fi thought experiment that has no material relevance, only an abstract though experiment.

let's say I use artificial selection to breed intelligent animals that will consent (yhea, far fetched, but it's a thought experiment so let's accept that premise). you might point that consent ends when the breeding program began, but all I had to do is take away candidates that aren't good from the breeding pool and let them breed freely. That as consentual as wildlife breeding gets.

would eating the meat of those animals be vegan?

fuck there's a Rick and Morty episode about that.

There's an interesting argument that honey can be vegan, by that criteria.

A bee colony is not generally trapped in a hive. They are capable of leaving, if it's not to their standards, or they find somewhere between. The catch is that artificial bee hives are amazing for bees, compared to natural locations. The only catch is the "rent" taken by the eldritch creatures. They never take too much however, only taking excess the hive doesn't need.

Basically bees could be argued to be paying rent, in honey, for high quality accommodation.

... [...]and yet the willingly offered menstrual black pudding and psoriasis crackling again remained untouched at the vegan dinner party.

Edit: Just realised black pudding might be a bit too regional. Black pudding (wiki link) is a "sliced blood sausage"

So do the plants consent?