Draft of response to Bear on myth of sustainable meat thread

I imagine if I were a pig I’d prefer a quick slaughtering on a good farm over dying what might be a longer, more painful death in the wild. But the vast majority of pork in the US is factory farmed. http://www.columbusunderground.com/forums/topic/nyt-the-myth-of-sustainable-meat/page/18#post-432190 If humans consumed animal products only when necessary, there’d be a lot less pigs, cows, and chickens around. But we don’t do farmed animals any favors by simply bringing them into an existence often filled with misery. Morality is a matter of how we make choices in light of knowing how our actions affect others’ well-being (including non-humans with nervous systems), not their existence, per se. It’s not a question of whether we promote existence or non-existence. It’s a question of doing our best to promote well-being, instead of promoting suffering. I’m not a strict utilitarian, given that determining what is ultimately the greatest good for the great number is beyond human comprehension. We don’t have the omniscience with which to do a final reckoning that would account for the ultimate consequences of our actions. Instead, we have an intellectual grasp of what generally tends to promote well-being. That combines with empathy. Therefore, do what is good for you with as little harm as possible to others. That combines with empathy What we have instead are general rules of conduct and empathy