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Meta_Digital t1_itmt792 wrote

Reply to comment by After_Kick_4543 in Lab-grown meat could let humanity ignore a serious moral failing by phileconomicus

A tiger is a carnivore, and thus there isn't a question of meat eating for them. They either eat meat or die. The same is true for an herbivore; they are not acting more ethically simply because they are incapable of surviving entirely off meat.

The fact that we're an omnivore, and thus are confronted with a choice at all, is why ethical consideration comes into play.

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existential_atheist t1_itnp5ei wrote

Chickens, pigs, bears, and raccoons are omnivores. The very animals we eat (chickens and pigs) do the same to other species lower on the food chain. There's a balance to our ecosystem. Don't get me wrong I think there needs to be great reform in how we consume animal products so that they are treated in a right manner up to their consumption.

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Meta_Digital t1_itoc8yg wrote

Yes, I understand, and I'm not trying to shame anyone for eating meat (I eat meat, just not very often). All I'm pointing out is that there isn't yet a very strong ethical argument in favor of meat consumption. None of these animals are engaged in ethics, and I tend to agree with David Hume in that ethics has some prerequisites which they all lack, making this a uniquely human issue.

At the end of the day we're all animals and our behavior can't be fully dictated by logic, ethics, or evidence. Regardless, I think it's important to understand when we're acting in a way that doesn't have any real justification even if we go ahead and act that way sometimes.

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existential_atheist t1_itok8f2 wrote

Oddly enough I'm not vegan or vegetarian, but I think vegan burgers are just as good. Literally what I get everytime I go to Burger King 😂. Went on a pescatarian diet for a bit in high school just to try it out but eventually quit it. The way I see it, I genuinely enjoy eating meat. It tastes good, it smells good, it's easy to source and afford (compared to alternatives). If I as an individual could do something to ease the suffering of the animals I would, but it just seems impossible in the world we live in that's driven by profit and self-interest.

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