Lab-Grown Long Pig?

 

The latest episode of The Remnant features Jonah Goldberg answering questions from listeners, including one about Jonah’s views on veganism and animal rights. In the answer to that question, they talk about lab-grown meat. As an aside, they note that scientists are close to growing lab-grown human meat.

Say wha..? Now, I haven’t investigated this at all, but the science of it is utterly irrelevant to what I’m about to ask: How would you react to lab-grown human meat produced for human consumption?

Would you try it?

Would you consider eating it to be cannibalism?

If so, is it the kind of cannibalism that is morally abhorrent? Or, is it an okay kind of cannibalism because no humans were killed?

In all honesty, I have no idea what my own answers to these questions are. This is a problem that I’ve never thought about before. But I figured it would make a great Ricochet discussion topic.

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  1. C. U. Douglas Coolidge
    C. U. Douglas
    @CUDouglas

    • #1
  2. Misthiocracy, Valet To The Gods Member
    Misthiocracy, Valet To The Gods
    @Misthiocracy

    We discussed this briefly in the PIT a little while ago.

    • #2
  3. Judge Mental Member
    Judge Mental
    @JudgeMental

    I saw somewhere the suggestion that if people want to eat meat they should only be allowed to eat meat grown from their own body.

    Although why anyone would pass up tasty cow is beyond me.

    • #3
  4. Frank Soto Member
    Frank Soto
    @FrankSoto

    Fred Cole: Would you try it?

    • #4
  5. Clavius Thatcher
    Clavius
    @Clavius

    Arthur C. Clarke anticipated this in his short story Food of the Gods.  The conclusion:

    Yes, Triplanetary’s chemists have done a superb technical job. Now you have to resolve the moral and philosophical issues. When I begin my evidence, I used the archaic word “carnivore.” Now I must introduce you to another: I’ll spell it out for the first time: C-A-N-N-I-B-A-L….

    • #5
  6. RushBabe49 Thatcher
    RushBabe49
    @RushBabe49

    EWW!  That’s my reaction.  Those activists who insist that we go to a plant-based diet are nuts.  They are welcome to eat whatever they wish, but they will not, in any way, affect what I choose to eat.  Beef-it’s what’s for dinner at our house!

    The Good Lord made us omnivores for a reason.

    • #6
  7. Seawriter Contributor
    Seawriter
    @Seawriter

    Clavius (View Comment):
    Arthur C. Clarke anticipated this in his short story Food of the Gods. The conclusion:

    Yes, Triplanetary’s chemists have done a superb technical job. Now you have to resolve the moral and philosophical issues. When I begin my evidence, I used the archaic word “carnivore.” Now I must introduce you to another: I’ll spell it out for the first time: C-A-N-N-I-B-A-L….

    You beat me to it. Here is an an online version

    Seawriter

    • #7
  8. Fred Cole Inactive
    Fred Cole
    @FredCole

    RushBabe49 (View Comment):
    The Good Lord made us omnivores for a reason.

    Yes.  But if you follow that line of reasoning, didn’t the Good Lord also make us with brains capable of moving beyond that?

    • #8
  9. Frank Soto Member
    Frank Soto
    @FrankSoto

    Fred Cole (View Comment):

    RushBabe49 (View Comment):
    The Good Lord made us omnivores for a reason.

    Yes. But if you follow that line of reasoning, didn’t the Good Lord also make us with brains capable of moving beyond that?

    Sure, but if you are going to tell me that God is pleased that we developed fraud, murder, and dubstep then I just don’t know what to tell you.

    • #9
  10. Seawriter Contributor
    Seawriter
    @Seawriter

    Fred Cole (View Comment):

    RushBabe49 (View Comment):
    The Good Lord made us omnivores for a reason.

    Yes. But if you follow that line of reasoning, didn’t the Good Lord also make us with brains capable of moving beyond that?

    And the brains to realize the folly of moving beyond that.

    Seawriter

    • #10
  11. Hank Rhody, Layabout Contributor
    Hank Rhody, Layabout
    @HankRhody

    Frank Soto (View Comment):
    Sure, but if you are going to tell me that God is pleased that we developed fraud, murder, and dubstep then I just don’t know what to tell you.

    I do. “Turn down your music!”

    • #11
  12. Matt Balzer Member
    Matt Balzer
    @MattBalzer

    Fred Cole (View Comment):

    RushBabe49 (View Comment):
    The Good Lord made us omnivores for a reason.

    Yes. But if you follow that line of reasoning, didn’t the Good Lord also make us with brains capable of moving beyond that?

    So if “omnivore” means either eating both plant and animal matter or in a larger sense, eating anything, how exactly does one move “beyond” that?

    • #12
  13. Hank Rhody, Layabout Contributor
    Hank Rhody, Layabout
    @HankRhody

    So which is it? Are we meat robots only looking to maximize our chances of reproduction, or divinely crafted souls breathed to life by our Creator?

    If it’s the former then I don’t see any problem with this; food is food, and the only reason we don’t resort to cannibalism more often is because it’s not usually in our economic best interest. If it’s the latter than there’s something deeply disturbing about growing people flesh in a vat in order to eat it.

    • #13
  14. Hank Rhody, Layabout Contributor
    Hank Rhody, Layabout
    @HankRhody

    Matt Balzer (View Comment):

    Fred Cole (View Comment):

    RushBabe49 (View Comment):
    The Good Lord made us omnivores for a reason.

    Yes. But if you follow that line of reasoning, didn’t the Good Lord also make us with brains capable of moving beyond that?

    So if “omnivore” means either eating both plant and animal matter or in a larger sense, eating anything, how exactly does one move “beyond” that?

    Your fourth level vegan learns to digest double-vegetables.

    • #14
  15. Fred Cole Inactive
    Fred Cole
    @FredCole

    Matt Balzer (View Comment):

    Fred Cole (View Comment):

    RushBabe49 (View Comment):
    The Good Lord made us omnivores for a reason.

    Yes. But if you follow that line of reasoning, didn’t the Good Lord also make us with brains capable of moving beyond that?

    So if “omnivore” means either eating both plant and animal matter or in a larger sense, eating anything, how exactly does one move “beyond” that?

    Well, I meant that in the sense that humanity might stop having to kill animals for food if we eventually switch over to lab grown meat.

    • #15
  16. Matt Balzer Member
    Matt Balzer
    @MattBalzer

    Hank Rhody, Layabout (View Comment):
    If it’s the latter than there’s something deeply disturbing about growing people flesh in a vat in order to eat it.

    Well I’m not so sure it’s any less disturbing than eating regular people flesh. Probably a little less, honestly. It’s not like I know the person.

    Especially since as I understand it, meat takes on the flavor of what it’s fed on. So if you vat-grow meat, it’d probably have the same amount of nutrition, but be essentially flavorless.

    • #16
  17. Matt Balzer Member
    Matt Balzer
    @MattBalzer

    Fred Cole (View Comment):

    Matt Balzer (View Comment):

    Fred Cole (View Comment):

    RushBabe49 (View Comment):
    The Good Lord made us omnivores for a reason.

    Yes. But if you follow that line of reasoning, didn’t the Good Lord also make us with brains capable of moving beyond that?

    So if “omnivore” means either eating both plant and animal matter or in a larger sense, eating anything, how exactly does one move “beyond” that?

    Well, I meant that in the sense that humanity might stop having to kill animals for food if we eventually switch over to law grown meat.

    Having to, maybe. Wanting to, doubtful.

    • #17
  18. Matt Balzer Member
    Matt Balzer
    @MattBalzer

    Fred Cole (View Comment):

    Matt Balzer (View Comment):

    Fred Cole (View Comment):

    RushBabe49 (View Comment):
    The Good Lord made us omnivores for a reason.

    Yes. But if you follow that line of reasoning, didn’t the Good Lord also make us with brains capable of moving beyond that?

    So if “omnivore” means either eating both plant and animal matter or in a larger sense, eating anything, how exactly does one move “beyond” that?

    Well, I meant that in the sense that humanity might stop having to kill animals for food if we eventually switch over to law grown meat.

    Besides, I’m not sure I’d want to take that chance. I don’t know if you’re familiar with Soylent, but the guy who invented it claims he has trouble eating regular foods now.

    If you get used to eating lab-grown food, you might have trouble eating non lab-grown food should the lab shut down for some reason.

    • #18
  19. RightAngles Member
    RightAngles
    @RightAngles

    Fred Cole (View Comment):

    RushBabe49 (View Comment):
    The Good Lord made us omnivores for a reason.

    Yes. But if you follow that line of reasoning, didn’t the Good Lord also make us with brains capable of moving beyond that?

    I’ve also heard the argument that God gave us the intellects to come up with the technology to end unwanted pregnancies. And now they say cyborgs that you can’t tell apart from humans are just around the corner, and people are already asking if they’ll have civil rights. Our science and technology never keep pace with our ability to solve the moral dilemmas. Just because we can do something, does that mean we ought to? But anyway, to answer your original question, this is one of the most repugnant things I’ve ever heard of.  Next to Spandex capri pants.

    • #19
  20. Michael Brehm Lincoln
    Michael Brehm
    @MichaelBrehm

    Friend Computer has declared that vat-meat of any kind is only fit to be converted into rations for epsilon-minus semi-morons, or other technicians with infrared-level security clearance. It seems a little subversive to me to suggest that others may consume vat-meat.

    • #20
  21. Matt Balzer Member
    Matt Balzer
    @MattBalzer

    Hank Rhody, Varlet to the Mods (View Comment):

    Matt Balzer (View Comment):

    Fred Cole (View Comment):

    RushBabe49 (View Comment):
    The Good Lord made us omnivores for a reason.

    Yes. But if you follow that line of reasoning, didn’t the Good Lord also make us with brains capable of moving beyond that?

    So if “omnivore” means either eating both plant and animal matter or in a larger sense, eating anything, how exactly does one move “beyond” that?

    Your fourth level vegan learns to digest double-vegetables.

    What do they mean?

    • #21
  22. Judge Mental Member
    Judge Mental
    @JudgeMental

    Matt Balzer (View Comment):

    Especially since as I understand it, meat takes on the flavor of what it’s fed on.

    Uh-oh.  I’m probably delicious.

    • #22
  23. Matt Balzer Member
    Matt Balzer
    @MattBalzer

    Judge Mental (View Comment):

    Matt Balzer (View Comment):

    Especially since as I understand it, meat takes on the flavor of what it’s fed on.

    Uh-oh. I’m probably delicious.

    Yeah, but Vat Judge is probably not.

    • #23
  24. Seawriter Contributor
    Seawriter
    @Seawriter

    Fred Cole (View Comment):

    Matt Balzer (View Comment):

    Fred Cole (View Comment):

    RushBabe49 (View Comment):
    The Good Lord made us omnivores for a reason.

    Yes. But if you follow that line of reasoning, didn’t the Good Lord also make us with brains capable of moving beyond that?

    So if “omnivore” means either eating both plant and animal matter or in a larger sense, eating anything, how exactly does one move “beyond” that?

    Well, I meant that in the sense that humanity might stop having to kill animals for food if we eventually switch over to law grown meat.

    For pity’s sake, why?

    Seawriter

    • #24
  25. JoelB Member
    JoelB
    @JoelB

    Tastes like chicken.

    • #25
  26. Misthiocracy, Valet To The Gods Member
    Misthiocracy, Valet To The Gods
    @Misthiocracy

    Fred Cole (View Comment):

    RushBabe49 (View Comment):
    The Good Lord made us omnivores for a reason.

    Yes. But if you follow that line of reasoning, didn’t the Good Lord also make us with brains capable of moving beyond that?

    “Beyond” is a subjective term.

    He provided us with brains capable of acting differently.  It’s up to you to prove that the different action is not only superior to the default action, but also necessary.

    • #26
  27. Judge Mental Member
    Judge Mental
    @JudgeMental

    Matt Balzer (View Comment):

    Judge Mental (View Comment):

    Matt Balzer (View Comment):

    Especially since as I understand it, meat takes on the flavor of what it’s fed on.

    Uh-oh. I’m probably delicious.

    Yeah, but Vat Judge is probably not.

    But he is more fun at parties.

    • #27
  28. GLDIII Reagan
    GLDIII
    @GLDIII

    RightAngles (View Comment):

    Fred Cole (View Comment):

    RushBabe49 (View Comment):
    The Good Lord made us omnivores for a reason.

    Yes. But if you follow that line of reasoning, didn’t the Good Lord also make us with brains capable of moving beyond that?

    I’ve also heard the argument that God gave us the intellects to come up with the technology to end unwanted pregnancies. And now they say cyborgs that you can’t tell apart from humans are just around the corner, and people are already asking if they’ll have civil rights. Our science and technology never keep pace with our ability to solve the moral dilemmas. Just because we can do something, does that mean we ought to? But anyway, to answer your original question, this is one of the most repugnant things I’ve ever heard of. Next to Spandex capri pants.

    That bad huh?

    • #28
  29. Hank Rhody, Varlet to the Mods Contributor
    Hank Rhody, Varlet to the Mods
    @HankRhody

    GLDIII (View Comment):

    But anyway, to answer your original question, this is one of the most repugnant things I’ve ever heard of. Next to Spandex capri pants.

    That bad huh?

    Some people can’t help but exaggerate.

    • #29
  30. GLDIII Reagan
    GLDIII
    @GLDIII

    Judge Mental (View Comment):

    Matt Balzer (View Comment):

    Especially since as I understand it, meat takes on the flavor of what it’s fed on.

    Uh-oh. I’m probably delicious.

    Like Bacon & Liver?  Oh my.

    • #30
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