> The only reason why animal consciousness has been controversial historically is a religious one How about the rest of the world, since this is not universal?

> The only reason why animal consciousness has been controversial historically is a religious one How about the rest of the world, since this is not universal? The fact that we mame, kill, and consume them probably has more to do with treating them as "less" and "other", otherwise you feel sad every lunch. I think it's simple avoidance, at a grand scale. Many cultures that do embrace the experience of other animals are also vegetarian, otherwise they would feel sad every lunch.