Hacker News new | past | comments | ask | show | jobs | submit login

Well, the ones who survive would be fine, eventually. In the short term there'd be a horrible Malthusian die-off of those many cattle which were in excess of the post-agricultural carrying capacity, and which had theretofore lived purely as a result of human ingenuity and effort.

It's just possible, I think, that you got downvoted less for whatever reason your apparent dietary persecution complex leads you to imagine, than for seeming not to have thought this point through.




"dietary persecution complex" is cute... Maybe you didn't think that currently cattle are not "fine" at all. Unless for "fine" you mean enslavement and forced feeding with chemicals, and being alive just to produce meat. I didn't that not to be downvoted you should express the obvious with style and terms good for a scientific dissertation. Thanks for enlightening me.


The only thing that matters in the context of evolution is passing on genes. In this respect, the genes which code for cattle are incredibly successful, largely due to human interference. It would significantly decrease the success of the species, and while the surviving cattle would be happier the individual's happiness is not relevant to the species' success, so long as breeding continues.




Guidelines | FAQ | Lists | API | Security | Legal | Apply to YC | Contact

Search: