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Circus performers likely have some generally applicable entertainment skills.
Also, I have slightly different feelings about working animals. The relevant standard there should be that the animals prefer their working life to the wild. That could be tested by regularly giving them opportunities to leave. The circus, or farm or whatever, would then have to treat them such that they decide to stick around.
I mean, pet owners don't regularly give their pets the opportunity to leave. is it really a reasonable or workable standard?
Pet owners also don’t require work.
They should still hold themselves to the standard, even if it goes untested, that their pets would choose to stay with them.
economists have a hard enough time with human time inconsistency, I wonder how we'd even begin to evaluate the preferences of animals
We have no standard other than revealed preferences in either case.
When in doubt, treat them better, because you’re the one forcing them to live a particular way.
Agree... other things equal, treat animals better. But I just think concepts of animal welfare are too fraught with philosophical issues that it makes sense to me to accept a fairly wide latitude of human behavior towards animals, as long as there isn't deliberate cruelty or negligence.
Is it deliberate cruelty to buy animal products that are made in ways you consider cruel?
The vast majority of people do that everyday.
I don't know. As someone who enjoys meat I can't honestly tell anyone that their utility is not worth the suffering of an animal. All I can say is that, other things equal, I'd prefer that their utility be derived from less animal suffering.
Another question that people should think about more: when is it appropriate to kill or imprison a human being in order to stop animal suffering?
I agree with you, and if the majority of mankind were to feel similarly, how will you propose circus performers be retrained for other jobs? I think circuses should be abolished but wonder about the livelihoods of these performers, many of whom have dedicated years of their lives to honing their skills