""I do not believe any of them have read The Sonnets or studied Greek philosophy""

Well, that may be one perspective on whether living creatures deserve ethical treatment or not? I suspect similar rational may have been used in the past to justify some very nasty treatment of humans :)

Regardless, f I were in the lobster industry, I suspect that (over the long term) a wise investment would be to spend a few research dollars in finding a better way of killing these animals than emersing them in boiling water.