Morning Scepticism: False Equivalence

If someone wants to argue that the use of animals is exploitation no matter what the circumstances, then they stand to argue that the corporate use of people is exploitation no matter the circumstances. That there's no difference between someone working in a sweatshop than someone working for in a good job with decent benefits because both of them are being exploited for the profits of another. There are days I don't want to go to work yet have to because otherwise I'd lose my job, but I don't think that's in any way comparable to someone who works long hours in shitty conditions for a pittance because they would otherwise starve. There's a huge difference between factory farming and other farming practices, even if the end product is that in both cases the farmer uses the animal for its own ends.

Morning Scepticism: Necessity

One repeated claim I hear from vegans is that eating meat and using animal produce is not necessary, therefore the cruelty to animals since it can be avoided is wrong. Now as someone who lives in the modern day, pretty much my entire life has elements of the superfluous to it. With eating meat at least there's nutritional value to it, yet there's little in the way of necessity I can argue for the scotch shipped halfway across the world in my glass. If I were to cull the superfluous from my life, meat would be one of the last things because it does serve a purpose beyond the pleasure.

The Ethics Of Meat-Eating

Creating a bit of an open thread (if that is possible) about whether eating meat is right or wrong. To lay out my position: I eat meat. I don't have much discrimination when it comes to meat, I will try new meats when possible. Death is a natural part of the life cycle, any animal that is born will die. Life is a struggle, one that involves mass suffering - all for the slim chance of passing on genetic material to the next generation. Livestock are fed and protected by us. Their existence is relatively suffering-free compared to if they were in the wild looking for food. They even get to pass on their genetic code, and the cost? Dinner on my table.

To me, it's important to remember that these species are protected and are in a symbiotic relationship with us. We need our livestock and produce in order to survive, and they benefit from our protection. Yes, they suffer in death - just as all life does. But in its death, it helps sustain life. Do away with this bond and there is no more protection for the sheep or pig.

But to bring this to the issue of suffering. Can we needlessly cause suffering in order to sustain ourselves? I believe that we have to, in order for us to survive there is going to be suffering on account of other life. All the forests we have to devastate in order to plant our crops, we destroy the homes and food sources of other life in order to feed ourselves. Other life will die in order for us to survive.

But does that mean we have to treat animals cruelly? I would argue not. We can treat animals humanely and still put them on a dinner plate. Giving them an open environment in which to live, ensuring they have plentiful food sources and protection from predators - and at the final stages ensuring a) a quick death and b) use of as much of the animal as possible, these are ways in order to recognise the existence of their other animals and their role in the cycle of life. It would be naive to think that we can eliminate the suffering from any process of sustaining ourselves, but to minimise the suffering is what seems the goal.

Yes we can recognise that animals suffer in the process. It comes down to this for me: if an animal walked up to your house and there it died through a pure accident, would it be ethical to eat it? If that is so, then it means that the killing component of meat-eating is the concern as opposed to the meat-eating itself. If that is the case, if we killed in a manner that is much more instant and minimised suffering, then would there be an objection from vegetarians on the notion of suffering? It's fine to point at factory farming as a great injustice, but does that decry the whole endeavour of meat eating? Should we be looking towards giving animals a more hospitable environment and a more painless death, or should the whole endeavour be discarded?



Anyway, anyone who wants to tear down the world of meat-eating, go ahead. Free for all, I'm putting my beliefs on the line.