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It really boils down to: "Is humans acting as their squishy biology dictates" good or does our "goodness" derive from striving to be more than that biology? I'

It really boils down to: "Is humans acting as their squishy biology dictates" good or does our "goodness" derive from striving to be more than that biology? I'm on the "accept that we are made to eat meat and probably should on occasion" end of the spectrum, but that doesn't make the current state of how we make and consume meat an ok thing. Factory farming isn't a necessary evil, and the level at which we eat meat (and the animals we choose to eat) are evil not just on method, but in costs to our descendants.

danielbln 4y ago
We aren't really "made to eat meat" though. Humans have evolved to be omnivores because it is the most efficient way to get the nutrients that our bodies need. With a varied diet, we can get all of the vitamins, minerals, and other nutrients that we need from the food we eat. That may or may not include meat, and in a modern society you can easily get by without ever eating meat, from a pure nutritional standpoint.
- blamestross 4y ago
  We very much are "made to be able to eat meat". I will point out that long term vegetarians often have trouble when they eat meat (by accident or intent) because the population gut flora don't support it anymore. I'd argue maintain the capacity is of intrinsic value because `modern society` is not something I take for granted in the long term, but I'm a crazy doom-saying prepper so feel free to disregard my concerns.
Scarblac 4y ago
We're made to have sex too, that doesn't justify rape. We make choices and are responsible for our actions. We can clearly survive without eating meat without any adverse effects. That makes it just another choice we make. We're responsible for our choices and can't get away with vague claims about biological dictates.
- blamestross 4y ago
  `> biological dictates` Note that the point of my response was not the present the decision as a binary but a spectrum. Should we have meat as part of the daily diet, probably not. Should we never eat meat for moral reasons? I don't think that is true. In the most extreme case, I'd argue things like auto-cannibalism are always ethical (You can know that you consent, especially when meat is produced via hypothetical vegan cloning methods)
  - Scarblac 4y ago
    My personal belief is that people are responsible for their own choices, I'm not going to tell them what to do (within reason). I'm just saying that pointing at our biology as a justification for eating meat and acting like it's not a choice is not taking responsibility. And that's something I don't like in adults.

danielbln 4y ago

We aren't really "made to eat meat" though. Humans have evolved to be omnivores because it is the most efficient way to get the nutrients that our bodies need. With a varied diet, we can get all of the vitamins, minerals, and other nutrients that we need from the food we eat. That may or may not include meat, and in a modern society you can easily get by without ever eating meat, from a pure nutritional standpoint.

blamestross 4y ago
We very much are "made to be able to eat meat". I will point out that long term vegetarians often have trouble when they eat meat (by accident or intent) because the population gut flora don't support it anymore. I'd argue maintain the capacity is of intrinsic value because `modern society` is not something I take for granted in the long term, but I'm a crazy doom-saying prepper so feel free to disregard my concerns.

Scarblac 4y ago

We're made to have sex too, that doesn't justify rape. We make choices and are responsible for our actions. We can clearly survive without eating meat without any adverse effects. That makes it just another choice we make. We're responsible for our choices and can't get away with vague claims about biological dictates.

blamestross 4y ago
`> biological dictates` Note that the point of my response was not the present the decision as a binary but a spectrum. Should we have meat as part of the daily diet, probably not. Should we never eat meat for moral reasons? I don't think that is true. In the most extreme case, I'd argue things like auto-cannibalism are always ethical (You can know that you consent, especially when meat is produced via hypothetical vegan cloning methods)
- Scarblac 4y ago
  My personal belief is that people are responsible for their own choices, I'm not going to tell them what to do (within reason). I'm just saying that pointing at our biology as a justification for eating meat and acting like it's not a choice is not taking responsibility. And that's something I don't like in adults.