> For most people it is a very important part of ethics. Most people would consider it unethical to boil alive a being with a sense of self and the ability to feel pain

I disagree. I think that many people who attribute consciousness to animals do so insincerely in order to promote their political views. I say this because there's a huge overlap between vegans and pro-choice people. You can't say animals should be protected from people eating them, but it's perfectly fine to end human life.

(Not trying to derail the conversation with abortion. I actually agree with it, I just take the Bill Maher position: abortion is murder, but I'm mostly okay with that.)