pariah

Obviously God did not create animals for us to eat...and yet the majority of us will still kill and eat animals (or use animal products). Yet we value human life.

How do you draw the distinction between human and 'animal' rights? What seperates a human from an animal?

How do you justify eating meat or using animal products?

Viti

We are an animal and part of the food chain. Why do other animals eat meat ::shrug::

I do think we have a responsibility to keep conditions for our food and fur animals humane and purchase cage-free eggs, free range meats, etc. I pay more for these items, but it is consistent with my personal ethics and values.

Amos

If God created the other animals why didn't he tell them not to eat each other?

pariah

I meant it in the sense that God does not exist, vs the common Christian argument that God created animals for us to eat...

parkdalian

I can think of one formal distinction, at least for adult humans. We are much more highly aware of potential harm that can happen to us than animals. Only adult humans can understand and abide by a set of moral rules and obligations in exchange for human rights, and we do so in order to ameliorate that intellectual awareness of potential harm or death. As for children, we simply assume or accept responsibility for them in exchange for their similar rights. In any case, moral responsibility is always arbitrarily accepted rather than intrinsic and our arbitrary rights are so granted in return, IMHO.

If there were no rights and morals, we would become terrorized or at least very anxious, so we simply agree to leave each other alone (among other things), especially considering we can be our own worst enemy.

Lacking awareness, animals don't intellectually experience potential terror nearly as acutely as humans and as well, have no ability to be a partner in the deal--rights for moral obligations.

They're both saved and damned by their ignorance.

Big Spoon

That animals (with the possible exception of chimps) are not sentient is the main reason I can see for distinguishing between animals and humans.

Shadowy Man

How do you justify eating vegetable life? Why is it ok to kill vegetables and not animals?

At some point you have to draw a line as to what life is acceptable to kill and what isn't.

Or you could just be an omnivore.

meritocrat

Eating meat is part of the natural diet of humans.

If it is truly 'unethical' to eat the flesh of other animals (and taking into account the 'theory' that humans and animals are no different), why not stop lions killing gazelles? Or birds eating earthworms?

Dr. Retard

I don't buy the 'animal welfare' argument for vegetarianism, but you can't get rid of it that easily. Animals feel pain. Many animals are put through excruciating pain by humans, thanks to our farming techniques. Vegetables, on the other hand, are off the hook when it comes to pain. Lucky bastards.

Shadowy Man

So, if we managed to come up with a way to kill animals painlessly, it would then be ok to eat them?


And do you really know that vegetables don't feel pain?