Q&A: Animal Suffering
Animal Suffering
Question
Hello, to Rabbi Michi,
The Rabbi holds that, aside from sporadic cases, there is no individual or general providence over humanity. And it may be that the reward/punishment for our actions will be in the World to Come. So here I can see the divine perfection.
Assuming the Rabbi does not hold that animals have a World to Come, how does the concept of “God is perfect” fit with the painful and severe suffering that so many animals endure?
With best regards, Ehud
Answer
As for the World to Come, I have no idea. But I wrote that it is certainly a possibility.
Within these hypotheses, if we are discussing animals, one can speak about a World to Come for them as well, reincarnations and the like, or that animals do not suffer (because they do not possess consciousness and the like). I have no idea.
Discussion on Answer
Thank you for the Rabbi’s response.
As for consciousness, I don’t know exactly what the Rabbi meant. I do know that animals (at least the more developed among them) have pain and physical suffering that is very experiential for them. In my opinion, there is also an experiential dimension on the mental level, although unlike the physical level, it is probably noticeably less than in humans.
You can’t enlist the issue of animals’ inferior consciousness as an explanation for their suffering, and certainly not say that they don’t suffer (try telling that to someone from an animal welfare organization or even just an ordinary veterinarian…)
Therefore, the Rabbi’s answer (at least this one) is not convincing.
As for a World to Come for animals (or reincarnations), that is more acceptable, and then it fits somewhat better with God being perfect.
I didn’t find an answer here.