“Numbers can feel “cold” because of the collapse of compassion we experience when we think of “165 billion animals” — the approximate number of animals suffering in factory farms right now. The limits of our imaginations make it impossible for us to see 165,000,000,000 individuals who are each as complete in our minds as individuals we know personally. We are instead compelled to just see “a number” — a completely reductive representation of those 165,000,000,000 individuals. But each and every number in that sum represents an entire individual with a personality and unique experiences, and most of them are suffering tremendously. We care about all 165,000,000,000 because we care about each one. Ultimately, a full application of our empathy requires us to consider the number of individuals affected. Far from “cold and calculating”, comparing suffering is better described as warm and calculating. It would be much colder to risk abandoning many individuals who we could help.”

— Sentience Politics, Altruism, Numbers, and Factory Farms