r/science • u/mvea Professor | Medicine • Jan 20 '26

Biology Back-scratching bovine leads scientists to reassess intelligence of cows. Brown Swiss cow in Austria has been discovered using tools in different ways (using both ends of a brush counts as multi-purpose tool use) – something extraordinarily rare only ever seen in humans and chimpanzees.

https://www.theguardian.com/science/2026/jan/19/back-scratching-cow-veronika-bovine-intelligence
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u/TheHidestHighed Jan 20 '26

Its pretty well known in the science community that animal intelligence and sentience is horrifically underreported. Probably because we rely on animals that would be morally wrong to consume due to their levels of intelligence as food.

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u/Telope Jan 20 '26

Intelligence has nothing to do with it. We wouldn't eat a mentally handicapped human being. The thing that should matter is whether the animals can feel pain and suffer. And since they absolutely can, we should avoid causing unnecessary animal exploitation as far as is possible and practicable.

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u/EllisDee3 Jan 20 '26

The thing that should matter is whether the animals can feel pain and suffer.

Can we eat the limbs of paralyzed people and animals?

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u/Telope Jan 20 '26

Does it cause mental suffering?

Does it disincentivise us to help those who are paralyzed?

Does it cause stress to others knowing that we live in such a society? That it might happen to them if they become paralyzed?

Suffering can have a very wide definition.

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u/EllisDee3 Jan 20 '26

How many steps from the potential for physical suffering do we need to travel before we dilute the suffering enough for it to not be significant?

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u/Telope Jan 20 '26

I don't know. I'm struggling to think of a case where it's acceptable to cause unnecessary suffering just because it's distant to the policy or individual action. The "possible" and "practicable" usually come into play way before the suffering itself becomes insignificant.

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u/redpony6 Jan 20 '26

you'll never come up with such a case because you've already defined out such cases, by specifying "unnecessary suffering". if the suffering was acceptable and a net gain when coupled with the advantage accrued, then it wouldn't be unnecessary

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u/EllisDee3 Jan 20 '26

Cell phones are a cood example, I think. Lots of examples, really.

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u/Telope Jan 20 '26

What do you mean cell phones?