Slippery slope -- is killing bacteria/bugs/cancerous cells evil too?
What about plants, uprooting carrots and such?
I believe we have a duty to our fellow humans to eat (at least) less meat, as the point was made above that producing beef takes away farmland that could be used to produce sustenance crops for local communities. (and kills rainforests = our oxygen supply).
As for what our responsibility to animals is, I am not sure. I believe we have at least a duty to prevent animals from being in harm while they are living (as in, opposing factory farms and animal cruelty). I am not sure however how animals react to being killed or their attitudes towards death. One might want to err on the side of caution here, though I am not sure that a chicken or a chicken's family has any specific existential attitudes towards death. If they had a sudden, instant and humane death following a humane life I am not sure there would be any negative effect on the animal.
That being said, I used to be a vegetarian (and a vegan). I was not opposed to eating animal products per se, simply that the means of extracting such products is often inhumane. I am not totally convinced eating meat (even free-range) is humane simply in terms of the animal.
Though I see no problem whatsoever with eating a naturally dead animal, of course.
It's hard to judge the attitudes of animals without being anthrocentric.
Well here's what I said before, though now I've turned back to vegetarianism. I have some further thoughts though:
1) If there is some sort of "hierarchy of killing" (i.e. it is more OK to kill some living beings than others), I think that we are concerned about the wrong animals. If anyone has watched chickens, they seem like there is not much going on in their brains. However, if you watch mice, rats, etc. and even
Bugs they seem a lot more 'sentient.' This is the problem -- is it OK then to kill bugs?
2) I am still not convinced that plants don't have consciousness and aversion to being harvested -- however, it is
obvious that animals are in pain and hence the reason to not eat them or harm them.
3) Eating factory-farmed eggs and cheese and milk is just as bad as eating factory-farmed meat.
4) I am not entirely sure I have a problem with eating wild, hunted meat, particularly from less sentient animals. But the jury is out. On this point, I would be interested to hear other's thoughts on why this is wrong?
Topic: Calling All Veggies/Vegans