Ask HN: Why can’t we eat dead human flesh like we eat dead animal flesh?
24 comments
What if we all become vegetarians and the only meat we eat is recycled human flesh after we die.
This is just an extreme thought experiment.
What if there was a way to sanitize meats of pathogens and parasites?
Imagine we are in a distant planet that can’t sustain CAFOs and there are just other humans around...and we don’t have resources or energy to raise meat for protein, nutrients and calories..and can only grow a certain kinds of plants as food.
Re Apex predators: wouldn’t shark or whales be apex predators of the ocean? And we consume them..some do anyways.
This is just an extreme thought experiment.
What if there was a way to sanitize meats of pathogens and parasites?
Imagine we are in a distant planet that can’t sustain CAFOs and there are just other humans around...and we don’t have resources or energy to raise meat for protein, nutrients and calories..and can only grow a certain kinds of plants as food.
Re Apex predators: wouldn’t shark or whales be apex predators of the ocean? And we consume them..some do anyways.
You can eat safe quantities of apex predators. However, if you look at the amount of tuna you can safely eat vs the amount of sardines you'll see you can eat a lot more sardines. The tuna will have a much higher concentration of heavy metals.
We also aren't talking about something that will kill you today. Lots of people do things that are unhealthy and will lead to future harm.
We also aren't talking about something that will kill you today. Lots of people do things that are unhealthy and will lead to future harm.
Vegans and vegetarians live without consuming meat. There's plenty of plant substitutes for the nutrients we get from meat (nuts, mushrooms, soy and so on).
That's quite interesting. I've heard that there are some substances which human body need and which can be found in animal flesh. I've just googled for that and it seems there are plenty of articles confirming that. So I don't know who is right...
Here are just 2 random articles from google search:
https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/7-nutrients-you-cant-ge...
https://www.alexfergus.com/blog/8-proven-reasons-why-vegan-a...
Here are just 2 random articles from google search:
https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/7-nutrients-you-cant-ge...
https://www.alexfergus.com/blog/8-proven-reasons-why-vegan-a...
This is true. The only human derived food that we know of is breast milk.
Can we create a food from our stem cells?
This is mostly a random thought experiment. It’s not to actually trying to feed the human population nor is it based on hard science.
I keep thinking of how plants can synthesize their own food due to photosynthesis. Animals and birds and mammals and insects cannot...I keep going back to the origins and evolution of photosynthesis, but don’t have the scientific background to figure why we can’t do it too..or rather..what do we need to modify in our habits or genes to be entirely a self sustaining species.
Can we create a food from our stem cells?
This is mostly a random thought experiment. It’s not to actually trying to feed the human population nor is it based on hard science.
I keep thinking of how plants can synthesize their own food due to photosynthesis. Animals and birds and mammals and insects cannot...I keep going back to the origins and evolution of photosynthesis, but don’t have the scientific background to figure why we can’t do it too..or rather..what do we need to modify in our habits or genes to be entirely a self sustaining species.
That is an interesting thought experiment.
As a side note, plants do produce proteins.
As a side note, plants do produce proteins.
Indeed.
We can’t synthesize our own foods and we let ruminants and plants to convert food from sunlight and water and soil do the work for us.
But what if we can hack a way to synthesize our own food? And maybe even customize it?
As an extreme non science backed thought experiment(but hopefully can be tested): what if we are able to create a formula to synthesize and customize all that a human would need in terms of nutrition from the time they are born..from stem cells or cord blood cells? Maybe it can even predictively measure what we need as we go through life events like puberty or pregnancy or old age or trauma etc.
We can’t synthesize our own foods and we let ruminants and plants to convert food from sunlight and water and soil do the work for us.
But what if we can hack a way to synthesize our own food? And maybe even customize it?
As an extreme non science backed thought experiment(but hopefully can be tested): what if we are able to create a formula to synthesize and customize all that a human would need in terms of nutrition from the time they are born..from stem cells or cord blood cells? Maybe it can even predictively measure what we need as we go through life events like puberty or pregnancy or old age or trauma etc.
the problem with any synthesis is you still require the raw materials. In the most basic form this is carbon, hydrogen, nitrogen, and a few more elements.
Mothers milk is a perfect food customized for each infant. Can a blue print of it be used as a source code to create food in a lab. And hence customized food?
Sorry if all this sounds far out...I don’t have scientific background in this subject.
Sorry if all this sounds far out...I don’t have scientific background in this subject.
Also for the same reason dead's organs are not reused unless consented by the person or his closest kith/kin when consent of the person is unknown. Mostly there is no consent by them because they are humiliated by having the thought of being valued as a food first by a stranger of their society.
2. If you have enough poor in your country and human flesh is valued enough, people will get killed for black market.
3. Human flesh can be deadly like Kuru. I couldn't watch videos of how they had tremours! The clan was on the verge of collapsing so they stopped.
2. If you have enough poor in your country and human flesh is valued enough, people will get killed for black market.
3. Human flesh can be deadly like Kuru. I couldn't watch videos of how they had tremours! The clan was on the verge of collapsing so they stopped.
I think that consent is irrelevant and if you can use it for food it is OK (they are dead and cannot consent, and also the other plants/animals you also don't usually consent either). The dead body (human or otherwise) is for eating (whether by human or others animals) and for recycling. That is how to do the nature, and it is good.
However, Kuru is good point; since it is not good to eat, so, don't eat, please (another comment mentions other kind of disease too). There is valid reason to be careful due to such thing. It is also contrary to the English cultural that I know, I think.
However, Kuru is good point; since it is not good to eat, so, don't eat, please (another comment mentions other kind of disease too). There is valid reason to be careful due to such thing. It is also contrary to the English cultural that I know, I think.
Ok. But I assumed consent obviously. Did not think about the black market angle.
Because "Eating People is Wrong".
Vegan here, my gf had a shirt saying that, with the Goya picture Saturn Devouring his Son[0] on it. I liked it so much she got me one too. Important message, I think.
But seriously...we can, see the book/movie Alive[1]. If it's that or starve to death, we all would. It apparently was (is?) common in many traditional cultures, e.g. (as I learnt recently) in areas of the Philippines until the 19th C.
[0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saturn_Devouring_His_Son
[1] https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0106246/
Vegan here, my gf had a shirt saying that, with the Goya picture Saturn Devouring his Son[0] on it. I liked it so much she got me one too. Important message, I think.
But seriously...we can, see the book/movie Alive[1]. If it's that or starve to death, we all would. It apparently was (is?) common in many traditional cultures, e.g. (as I learnt recently) in areas of the Philippines until the 19th C.
[0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saturn_Devouring_His_Son
[1] https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0106246/
But if they are not slaughtered/killed for food and are ‘harvested’ just before their eminent demise, what is wrong with using perfectly good food.
Obviously there are ethical issues/black market abuse etc. but it seems such a waste to inject a body full of formaldehyde or whatever or burn it or bury it after the homo sapien organism is considered an empty shell after its organs cease to function.
Thanks for all that first quote! I love Flanders and Swann! I used to think it hilarious and fun to start singing ‘The Reluctant Cannibal’ at dinners until I had to stop doing it because 1. No one got it anymore 2. They didn’t think it was funny.
I am a vegetarian, but I might be less squeamish about ingesting meat if it was harvested ethically. Perhaps mere minutes after death or right after death. We harvest organs after one dies. Why not the rest of the body?
Obviously there are ethical issues/black market abuse etc. but it seems such a waste to inject a body full of formaldehyde or whatever or burn it or bury it after the homo sapien organism is considered an empty shell after its organs cease to function.
Thanks for all that first quote! I love Flanders and Swann! I used to think it hilarious and fun to start singing ‘The Reluctant Cannibal’ at dinners until I had to stop doing it because 1. No one got it anymore 2. They didn’t think it was funny.
I am a vegetarian, but I might be less squeamish about ingesting meat if it was harvested ethically. Perhaps mere minutes after death or right after death. We harvest organs after one dies. Why not the rest of the body?
Such schemes are called 'modest proposals' after Swift's original https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Modest_Proposal
Well yes, I've wondered why people who think factory farming at its worst is acceptable, with their "The animal wouldn't exist without the farm" and "painless slaughter is OK" arguments etc, never consider farmed human meat. One could use a lot of the factory farming arguments in its favour. (Both are abhorrent to me.)
Well yes, I've wondered why people who think factory farming at its worst is acceptable, with their "The animal wouldn't exist without the farm" and "painless slaughter is OK" arguments etc, never consider farmed human meat. One could use a lot of the factory farming arguments in its favour. (Both are abhorrent to me.)
Oh my! The Goya painting has a name ..Filial Cannibalism with benefits and cons as well.. from: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Filial_cannibalism
[...]Benefits
Satisfies current energy or nutrition requirements.
In a bad reproductive environment, cannibalism is a way to make a recouping reproductive investment.
Puts evolutionary pressure on offspring in order to make the offspring develop quicker.
May increase the reproductive rate of a parent by making that parent more attractive to potential mates.
Gets rid of offspring that take too long to mature.
Removes weaker offspring in an overproduced brood, which makes the other offspring more likely to be successful
Costs
Loss of fitness.
Transmission of diseases and parasites.
Decrease of success in current reproduction. [..]
[...]Benefits
Satisfies current energy or nutrition requirements.
In a bad reproductive environment, cannibalism is a way to make a recouping reproductive investment.
Puts evolutionary pressure on offspring in order to make the offspring develop quicker.
May increase the reproductive rate of a parent by making that parent more attractive to potential mates.
Gets rid of offspring that take too long to mature.
Removes weaker offspring in an overproduced brood, which makes the other offspring more likely to be successful
Costs
Loss of fitness.
Transmission of diseases and parasites.
Decrease of success in current reproduction. [..]
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cannibalism : lots of info. Generic Wiki entry.
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What I wonder is how castaways lost at sea that ate their dead crew managed to survive without getting some kind of crazy infection/disease. Especially if it was uncooked flesh.
Perhaps prion diseases were rare.
Where do you think Soylent Green comes from?
Incidentally, 2022 is not very far away at all.
Incidentally, 2022 is not very far away at all.
Haha! “Soylent..it’s made out of people!!!”
I was so tickled when the beverage people picked the name Soylent for their product.
I was so tickled when the beverage people picked the name Soylent for their product.
I'm vegan and still alive.
Eating human flesh can lead to transmitting parasites, as can consuming animals fed on human feces (pigs or fish). The big example of this is Kuru (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kuru_(disease))
So: avoid human flesh to avoid concentrations of mercury, dioxin, parasites and prion-related diseases.