Ethically, cannibalism poses fewer issues than you might imagine. If a body can be bequeathed with consent to medical science, why can’t it be left feed the hungry?
Our aversion has been explained in various ways. Perhaps it is down to the fact that, in Western religious traditions, bodies are seen as the seat of the soul and have a whiff of the sacred. Or maybe it is culturally ingrained, with roots in early modern colonialism, when racist stereotypes of the cannibal were concocted to justify subjugation.
What does that even mean? If we can eat 'em dead why not eat 'em alive?
And why see anything at all as good or bad? It’s just ethics.
Our aversion has been explained in various ways. Perhaps it is down to the fact that, in Western religious traditions, bodies are seen as the seat of the soul and have a whiff of the sacred.
The human eaters had a concept of “soul” too so that could go either way.
Or maybe it is culturally ingrained, with roots in early modern colonialism, when racist stereotypes of the cannibal were concocted to justify subjugation.
Of course. If Whitey does it it can only be wrong and “too uptight” and it’ s only wrong because it’s racist. That explains everything. Well, that and global warming.
Seeking non-existent meaning or a necessary causation in what is simply “the things people do.” Shapes in the clouds.
Some taboos may be based in genuine physiological fact. For example, the taboo against incest may be based in the genetic diseases that can result.
The taboo against cannibalism may be based in the spread of disease. Prion disease was discovered in a population that practiced cannibalism (kuru in New Guinea indigenous people).
Ancient people didn’t have scientific theories but they were keen observers of nature. I wrote a study on science in the Torah. There are dozens of commandments that preserve health, including washing one’s body and clothing after handling a dead rat and avoiding the consumption of animals that are now known to carry cross-species infections (e.g. pigs, rabbits, camels).
Carnivores learned a long time ago that organ meats are more nutritious than muscle, livers, brains, kidneys, and so on. When I was young organ meats were quite common most of which i did not like. Now it’s much harder to find organ meats but I find many more in Portugal than i found in Venezuela or in the USA. Prairie oysters?
I asked Google, “What do meat processors do with organs?”
Despite occasional requests for tongues, livers and hearts, the rest of the animal gets put into large plastic barrels with the word “inedible” imprinted on it, and gets thrown in the trash or awaits the pickup of a rendering plant that recycles it into another product.
I find it interesting that humans seems to have a greater distaste (pun intended) for eating humans than killing humans. Deities have long felt the need to admonish “Thou shalt not kill”, but apparent felt it was not needed to warn “Thou shalt not eat thy neighbor”.
I’m guessing to paraphrase the great evolutionary biologist, Lady Gaga, we are just born this way.
