> We have a diver who killed an animal for food, and this generated tremendous outrage. Why? I think it's just social taboo. Everyone defecates, and everyone

> We have a diver who killed an animal for food, and this generated tremendous outrage. Why? I think it's just social taboo. Everyone defecates, and everyone is fine with that. However if you did that on a public beach, people would be outraged. Also, if you beat up a cow, dog or bear with your bare hands on a beach, people would be outraged with that too. I'm not sure that trying to come up with a "rational" way of looking at it makes sense. It makes people uncomfortable because it violates social norms. You would have to frame the act in certain ways for people to be comfortable with it. If the Octopus was dangerous, for example. Or if you had some elaborate social ritual around killing it. Or if it was structured as your job, people knew you were going to do it humanely. Etc.