The Ethics Of Meat Consumption

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Whether or not meat consumption is ethical is a highly debated topic in today’s culture, and rightly so. The majority of Americans bear no shame in their ritualistic consumption of the flesh of innocent animals, though, if fully informed, I would wager that most would be appalled at the thought of this inhumane and unnecessary tragedy. In any discussion concerning the ethics of eating animals, it is important to begin by considering an often overlooked distinction: that harming and killing animals from necessity is not morally equivalent to harming and killing animals for pleasure. This distinction can be put into human terms in the way that killing someone in self-defense is not the same as murdering someone in order to satisfy some sadistic …show more content…

Human consumption of meat, in most cases, is not the same as what animals do in nature. Humans have no biological or nutritional need to consume meat or any animal product. In nature, animals kill in order to survive; they have no choice in the matter. On the other hand, many humans do have a choice, and when people with access to non-animal foods choose to consume animals anyway - because it is easier or because they like the taste – they are killing not from necessity, but rather, for pleasure. The massive harm inflicted upon innocent animals purely for the pleasure of humans is wholly unjustifiable. Not only is meat consumption unnecessary, but it is also …show more content…

On a large scale, it is inefficient and unsustainable to expend water and energy to produce food in order to sustain the number of animals found in these mega-farms. Even more than just sustaining the animals themselves, a huge amount of resources are required by the processes used on factory farms. Furthermore, these animals expel literally tons of waste into the ecosystem. Lastly, the massive amount of land required for farming both the animals and their sustenance impedes on the existence of the natural world. The depletion of the rainforests has been a concern for decades, and they are increasingly cleared to make way for livestock and feed. It is notably more sustainable to simply grow nourishing plant foods and feed them to people directly. Along with harming the environment, the consumption of meat has a toll on

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