WARNING Controversial opinions below...
I eat my gf all the ti- Sorry, pre-watershed and all that.
Seriously though, the acceptability of cannibalism (or anything else) is a judgement made by modern culture, where the population habitually compare things to what they think should be acceptable. It has no bearing on the potential usefulness of cannibalism.
Practically though, if an lifeform of species X dies then why not reclaim the nutients contained in the dead biomass?
Plants do it to survive, last years leaves are this year's mulch. We often confuse the soul with the body (the latter exists the former doesn't), and religion rarely helps.
Another valid question would have been "Is rape right?"
I am not belittling (sp?) the trauma that rape invariably inflics on the modern victim it is a truly devastating crime.
But modern humans are used to having their privacy, 100,000 years ago they were not. If prehistoric females were overpowered by males they would think nothing of it and give birth several months later. If they had been traumatised by rape then humanity would have died out through paranoia.
Humanity wouldn't be where it is now without the "rape instinct" as it is called. This is fact, and its equally applicable to mammals, insects, birds etc...
Now, clearly both rapists and cannibals should be strung up and burned but that only the opinion of modern man. Things were different when humans were evolving.
Humans are no longer evolving, none of the evolutionary systems are intact. Thus we can't satisfactorily answer questions such as this.
Nice topic though :yuck:
(the above is my own opinion, not necessarily that of VBF forums or anyone else. If it caused offence then tough cheddar)