are vegetarians more ethical by not eating meat?

[KichigaiNeko]

The majority of European cultures were based on "Beef" as a sign of wealth.

The vegetarian movment have yet to address this one superstition your average punter has hidden away.

[justin]

I grew up, grilling, smoking( not the grass smoking), bar-b-qing, and frying meat. Reds were always a favorite and never could understand how some don't like it. Jerky, steak, brisket, burgers are my favorite. Mmm protein

[jstrodel]

We've evolved as omnivores.
It is our genetic pre-disposition to eat anything... and our parents or caretakers should teach us what not to eat. That's why kids just thrust everything in their mouths.
It would be disrespectful to our ancestors to abstain from eating something that allowed them to live.

On the other hand, as long as you get your proteins, and all other nutrients you need, I don't care where you get them from... and your ancestors probably don't care either....as long as you don't get them from me or my family.

Why should people view evolution as a quasi-religious belief that implies any sort of specific course of action?

[genkaus]

My religiously and culturally vegetarian Aunts used to make similar argument to my Dad. According to them, it is unconscionable to kill and eat another living entity. My dad's reply was "What is more immoral? To kill defenseless plants who can't even move or to kill animals who could atleast try to run or fight back." They don't discuss the subject anymore.

[pocaracas]

We've evolved as omnivores.
It is our genetic pre-disposition to eat anything... and our parents or caretakers should teach us what not to eat. That's why kids just thrust everything in their mouths.
It would be disrespectful to our ancestors to abstain from eating something that allowed them to live.

On the other hand, as long as you get your proteins, and all other nutrients you need, I don't care where you get them from... and your ancestors probably don't care either....as long as you don't get them from me or my family.

Why should people view evolution as a quasi-religious belief that implies any sort of specific course of action?

Because evolution has endowed us with some specific sets of actions, such as self-preservation - present in all animal species.

[fr0d0]

I think I'm unethical in eating meat and I freely admit it. There's a contradiction and I live with that.

[PyroManiac]

I must say, Steak is my favorite.

[The Magic Pudding]

One claim made by vegetarians is that it is people should not kill and eat animals because it is unethical. I believe it is just as ethical to be a meat eater if not more ethical.

1- animals are consumers which feed on plants. They have adapted by consuming plants that make sugars and feeding themselves (most of them). Therefore under deontological theory they have broken a duty which is when we define it as unethical. This action was taken on a free agents choice to kill and consume the life of the plants which have not broken the ethical theory. Therefore would it not be ethical to consume the consumers do to the fact that willingly feed on other life (other meat eaters apply). Meaning we would no longer have decide whether to break the ethical code to kill and consume the consumer. While this has be chosen to do so by us or else it would according to the 2nd dimension of categorical imperative be unethical because if not
freely acted then the alternative would be by force.

2-if you were making a choice to deprive yourself from meat you would still be taking innocent life. A life that has adapted to being reliant upon it's self. You also are in a sense approving of self-destruction by neglect to necessary nutrition. You would have to consume many vitamins, supplements and still be deprived of certain things

- http://drlwilson.com/Articles/vegetablediets.htm

So in doing this you are bringing about harm to you're body of which you have the knowledge and capability to avoid. No more than cutting being ethical should these freely acted diets beconsidered ethical.

So what do you think?

I find that a bit hard to follow.
Herbivores can feed on grasses without killing the grass.
Plants evolve to offer bits of themselves to birds and insects to spread their seed.

I accept the ethic that causing suffering is wrong, mostly.
I don't have much empathy for harvested vegetables.
I think we know animals are treated badly to minimise cost.
I'm offered lamb and veal, don't tell anyone but I'm not easy with eating babies, I have some knowledge of cost accounting, I suppose it pays to kill them young.
If we get lab meat animals won't have to die but they won't be born and get to live for a while either.
I think some defence of meat eating is rationalisation, some opposition to harvesting grazing animals is irrational.
Pigs and chickens are often raised badly.
Too many people make us squeeze the world to hard.
I've never been vegetarian, the only things I've killed to eat were fish.
When I'm paddling, it pleases me to see fish swimming about.
I respect the choice of vegetarianism, I wouldn't necessarily surrender the moral high ground to them though.

[TaraJo]

On the other hand, as long as you get your proteins, and all other nutrients you need, I don't care where you get them from...

Your body doesn't process plant based proteins as well as animal based proteins. I'm not saying it can't be done, but you have to be a bit more careful with your diet.

As for me, I'm way too picky an eater to go vegetarian. Cut out meat and there's rare few things I can really eat. I suppose I could cut out beef and pork and get by alright since so much of the meat I eat is turkey, anyway.

[Ike963]

Unethical to eat meat? Yeah, make that argument to someone who's starving.

Should animals be treated better? Absolutely! However, I feel the boycott of the meat industry hasn't been effective in really changing how animals are raised. Boycotts can and have worked, but I feel that some form of tax incentive would change everything. Tax breaks to free range farms, farms that don't use steroids or growth hormones, etc. would put more pressure on them to change. I feel shaming of these practices by the press helps too.