is cannibalism wrong

[yoda3d2]

say you were in waiting from rescue from.... well i cant think of anything right now but if your buddy or someone died and that was your only food source for 10 days then it would be okay i guess. I see nothing wrong with it unless it was pointless cannabalism like in fallout 3

 

[Danpascooch]

Gee let's see....DUH!

Would you want someone eating your body? It's not respectful to DIGEST people!

 

[Random Argument Man]

If I'm dead, I'm pretty sure my mum wants to see my body intact.

I'm also against being killed so I could be eaten.


Although, you would have to wonder how a cannibal thinks....oh wait...

 

[Pearwood]

It is wrong just because it is. Saying any different is insane. If someone's life depended on getting food urgently and there was no other place then that's the only situation I wouldn't want the cannibal hospitalised immediately. I can't even try to balance my argument, it's illegal, it's deeply disturbing, it's a sure sign of serious mental issues, there is no way it could possibly be considered right in modern times.

 

[JSkunk22]

I don't think it's wrong. Then again, I am a voraphile. Though I hear that people do taste pretty badly, one of the reasons sharks tend to bite and then let go.

 

[Cody211282]

Yes it is.

 

[MrSnugglesworth]

this was inspired by that "incest" thread, wasn't it? (not to imply they are similar, but they are both taboos that people NORMALLY don't like to talk about)

Anyway, yes, it is wrong. Not only health wise (yes, it is VERY unhealthy, this is scientifically proven), but because...I mean how would you live with yourself knowing you ate another human being? You just ate someone who once had thoughts, hopes, dreams, a family, and they are now dead and inside of you. If that thought doesn't disgust you there is something mentally wrong, period.

EDIT- people are okay with this? are you fucking serious? Here, read this, all of you, right now.

http://www.scienceline.org/2008/01/21/ask-stern-cannibal/

Thank you! If you think eating another Human being, even in an extreme situation, you are seriously fucked up. Only if you have mental issues should you even think about it.

 

[Yoshemo]

Wow, you're cool.

Even ignoring the fact that humans would taste disgusting, I've heard that human flesh is addictive, so, yeah, I'd say it's wrong.

Actually, humans taste like pork

 

[Terramax]

Wasn't mad cow disease caused by feeding cows cow fat and meat.

I can't imagine the the result would be much different human on human.

Creatures generally are not supposed to eat those of the same species.

Sorry, I had to fix that, as I couldn't help imagining someone eating their own arm.

Anyway, male rats eat babies if I'm not mistaken?

Don't mother spiders let their kids eat em?

I'm sure it would be ok to eat another human so long as you cooked em properly.

And I don't think I'd mind someone eating me after I died (naturally). I think it's a much more natural and resourceful way to go than having my body nailed in a coffin and left to rot 6ft under.

Spiders are not Mammals.

Male rats kill baby rats, i have never been told they actually do it for the expressed purpose of eating them. The reasons to why are up to debate as well. I have heard from genetic weeding, killing the weak, or slaughtering them due to contests for food seeing as mice and rats in captivity have no naturally occurring food source. Just magical pellets raining from the sky.

In my psych classes as well my teacher told us about theory's surrounding humans eating other humans leads to our minds clicking to a more aggressive state due to the psychological message of "I am eating my own kind, food must be scarce" situation.

The problem is we have seen in animals such as pigs and cows that feeding them there own species can have a negative effect on them.

Cool, thanks for that. I learn something new every day on these forums.

 

[Xanadu84]

Wasn't mad cow disease caused by feeding cows cow fat and meat.

I can't imagine the the result would be much different human on human.

Creatures generally are not supposed to eat themselves.

It was cows eating cow BRAINS. The proteins in the brain cause certain problems, not the meat. If cows were meat eaters, then eating other cows would probably be fine. Scavenger mammals eat other scavenger mammals, and actually, Humans evolved, most likely, as primarily scavengers. As for human meat, nutritionally, I can imagine no significant difference between most animals, outside of taste, fat content, etc.

Overall, nutritionally, human meat is probably the same as other meats. Except that if something dies of a disease, you may not want to eat the meat, and it detracts from ones ability to show respect for the dead. But strictly speaking, its not exactly immoral. Just hard to justify. But in a survival situation, it is perfectly acceptable.

 

[HTID Raver]

yeah, its disguisting!

if it were a life or death thing were your only chance to survive is to eat the dead guy next to you.... MABEY it would be diffrent.
i just cant fathom eating another person.

 

[AceDefective]

sorry the rids?
i only eat the organs
the liver with fava beans and a nice chianti

 

[Necator15]

Wasn't mad cow disease caused by feeding cows cow fat and meat.

I can't imagine the the result would be much different human on human.

Creatures generally are not supposed to eat themselves.

There's a disease called Kuru, it was theorized that it became "common" in the Fore tribe of Papua New Guinea because of cannibalism. It's a disease that can basically make you laugh yourself to death in the end. (Can take 5-20 years to show symptoms, and after that it's about 12 months until death)

More info: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kuru_(disease)



OT: Uhhh... It's bad because of the above. Although I can think of worse ways to die than laughing yourself to death, you're still just as dead.

 

[Calatar]

i was think is cannibalism wrong im not talking about farming people or hunting them down from food but lets say some one died naturally would it be wrong then to have some of his ribs for lunch? so i want to know what you think escapist.

It's unhealthy.

Prions.

Look them up.

Also Mad Cow Disease.

See how that whole thing started.

Honestly though, this is one of the weakest arguments you can make against cannibalism.
The unhealthiness argument is based off of a requirement that the person you are eating is contaminated with a disease-causing protein which is normally rare. And think about it, has red meat being unhealthy for you prevented the consumption of beef? Has mercury in fish prevented the consumption of fish?

Cannibalism isn't "against the natural order of things" either, from crocodiles to spiders to chimpanzees, there are many, many species of animals which are cannibalistic.

The fact of the matter though, is that humans have evolved in close-knit societies where in order for the old people to survive, other people had to take care of them. To engage in cannibalism would break apart the attachments of group members, who identified themselves as friends or relatives of the deceased, naturally provoking resentment, and thus damaging the all-important group dynamic.
Thus, human cannibalism is rare because of the social taboos around it, not because it is inherently unnatural. Cannibals would be ostracized if discovered in most instances.

Furthermore, as this paper says, Cannibals Dine Alone because the spread of rare cannibalism-born diseases only happens when groups engage in it. Thus the social taboos serve both to maintain stronger relationships and to protect the group from these rare diseases.

In conclusion, most humans feel a natural aversion to it because of our socially-guided evolution.

 

[Kagim]

Wasn't mad cow disease caused by feeding cows cow fat and meat.

I can't imagine the the result would be much different human on human.

Creatures generally are not supposed to eat themselves.

It was cows eating cow BRAINS. The proteins in the brain cause certain problems, not the meat. If cows were meat eaters, then eating other cows would probably be fine. Scavenger mammals eat other scavenger mammals, and actually, Humans evolved, most likely, as primarily scavengers. As for human meat, nutritionally, I can imagine no significant difference between most animals, outside of taste, fat content, etc.

Overall, nutritionally, human meat is probably the same as other meats. Except that if something dies of a disease, you may not want to eat the meat, and it detracts from ones ability to show respect for the dead. But strictly speaking, its not exactly immoral. Just hard to justify. But in a survival situation, it is perfectly acceptable.

We have alreayd covered the brain thing on page two.

Natural deaths have a tendency to yield very low quality meat. That's why you slaughter cows before they get old. The older they are the less healthy the meat the more chance you can get sick off it.

Unless the person in general was freshly killed from non illness or age the meat is very likely either very low in nutrients or diseased.

So outside of survival it isn't really possible unless you murder someone.

Old people meat would be either diseased or rotting upon finding them unless of course one suggests sticking all old people in facilities that instantly carve them up on death. Which is kinda horrible. Even then since the meat is old it will be very quick to rot and lower nutritionally even if diced and packed quickly.

 

[voetballeeuw]

I wouldn't recommend it, but if it's necessary to eat someone I don't see a problem.

 

[Xanadu84]

We have alreayd covered the brain thing on page two.

Natural deaths have a tendency to yield very low quality meat. That's why you slaughter cows before they get old. The older they are the less healthy the meat the more chance you can get sick off it.

Unless the person in general was freshly killed from non illness or age the meat is very likely either very low in nutrients or diseased.

So outside of survival it isn't really possible unless you murder someone.

Old people meat would be either diseased or rotting upon finding them unless of course one suggests sticking all old people in facilities that instantly carve them up on death. Which is kinda horrible. Even then since the meat is old it will be very quick to rot and lower nutritionally even if diced and packed quickly.

There are a number of ways to get good quality, non diseased meat without resorting to murder. Pretty much any accidental death, or a murder commited by someone whose not the people who eat the meat. That would still apply in a large number of situations that would easily accommodate this hypothetical. Lets say, for example, an earthquake where the population is suddenly without food, likely because the place the earthquake happened is very poor, and food storage was destroyed. Lots of previously healthy, freshly dead corpses, and a desperate, life threatening need for food.

 

[ww666]

You guys are starting to scare me.

 

[Section Crow]

well naturally i think cannibalism is wrong because that is what i have been brought up to believe

but most people think it's repulsive that's why they reject it, a bit like bugs.

 

[chaos order]

i wouldnt u know just dig up some guy and eat him, but of for some reason he placed in his will or w/e then ya i would