Ethical Arguments Against Vegetarianism

There has been considerable controversy and debate over the years amongst philosophers as well as those outside philosophy on the issue of the ethicality of eating meat and whether vegetarianism is the solution. In essence, vegetarianism is the voluntary act of abstaining from consumption of meat and in some cases, by-products of animal abattoir. This practice commonly stemmed from the abhorrence of the cruel practices in livestock, poultry, dairy farming and also fish farming. For those who enjoy eating meat, this brings about a conflict of interests of whether human interests should be seen as greater than animal interests. To some, answering this question will grant us a greater understanding of the nature of human beings and the appropriate limits of our moral obligations while to others, this would be imperative in justifying certain human practices towards animals. Amidst this, most philosophers have argued that while humans are different in a variety of ways from each other and other animals, these differences do not provide a solid philosophical defence for denying the interests of animals. Nevertheless, does that prove that eating meat is unethical and that we should all turn to vegetarianism? Many have recognized it as an ethical behaviour.

Firstly, meat-eating is bad for long-term health. In recent years, many nutritionists have judged eating meat to be unhealthy. This argument follows that populations with the highest animal flesh consumption in the world have the lowest life expectancy while populations that live off little or no animal flesh have the longest life expectancy. Furthermore, several studies have shown that stamina and strength of vegetarians are superior to meat-eaters. Therefore, a balanced vegetarian diet tends to be healthier than a diet containing meat and animal fat. This argument seems to provide strong reasons to turn to