As a former rural kid; the idea that chickens are not tortured is a widespread cultural fantasy that has more to do with keeping our impression of the quality a

As a former rural kid; the idea that chickens are not tortured is a widespread cultural fantasy that has more to do with keeping our impression of the quality and power of our moral judgements intact than anything to do with the lives of chickens. I am not trying to crucify you by any means! I have eaten more than my share of chickens, and have been horrified by the suffering of elephants as well. I am instead participating in this discussion because I think that the way this argument is structured betrays the weakness of our way of conceiving of allowable/forbidden indifference to another creature with which we can also share emotional experiences. Of course we must eat, and there is vast culture around eating animals or using them as tools or entertainers. Still, it doesn't mean we need to justify it with swiss-cheese moralizing about intelligence.