No, Eating Animals is Not Natural
“But isn’t eating animals natural?”
This question is probably the one that I have gotten most frequently
in the almost thirty years that I have been promoting veganism.
Students in our courses; people in public lectures; listeners who call
in on a radio show that I am on; the passenger sitting next to me on an
airplane who inquires about why I have a vegan meal when everyone else
is eating chicken or fish—they all seem to think that what I am
advocating as a moral position is not “natural.”
As I have argued elsewhere on this blog,
many heinous practices and traditions, including slavery and sexism,
have been justified by appeals to arguments that assume that certain
people are naturally superior and others are naturally inferior.
The current swine flu outbreak provides another opportunity to see
the failure of the argument that animal exploitation is somehow natural.
Many people maintain that it is natural for people to eat meat. That
is, they claim that we have evolved to eat animal products and that
eating meat, fish, milk, eggs, etc. is what nature intends us to do. To
not eat these things is to act in opposition to what we are intended to
do and, therefore, the moral principle that we should not eat them
simply cannot be right. We have evolved to be beings who possess eyes;
to say that we have a moral obligation to permanently cover our eyes
and never to use our eyesight would rightly be regarded as an idiotic
position to take.
We have evolved to be omnivores. We can eat animal products. But
that means merely that we have evolved to be beings who can choose what
to eat and who have the choice to live exclusively on plant foods. The
fact that we can eat animal products is no more support for the
conclusion that eating these products is morally justified as our
ability to engage in violence is support for the conclusion that war
(or any other sort of violence) is morally justified. The fact that we can do something is not relevant to whether we should do it.
It is clear that it is not necessary for us to eat any animal
products. And the evidence mounts daily that animal products ingested
in the quantities that characterize the diets of those in wealthier
nations is detrimental to health.
Moreover, none of us (or no one reading this essay) is a
hunter-gatherer any longer. We necessarily get our animal products from
domesticated animals. The current outbreak of swine flu illustrates the
point that to regard the domestication of animals as natural requires
us to maintain that it is in the nature of things for us to do
something that, as an empirical matter, is harmful to our survival:
[I]t is our proximity to the animals that have sustained
us for millennia that makes us so vulnerable to the diseases that can
kill us in large numbers. Ever since man stopped being a
hunter-gatherer and began to live cheek by jowl with his livestock, he
has run the risk of pandemics. Many human diseases originated with
domesticated animals: measles and tuberculosis from cattle; smallpox
from cattle or other livestock with related pox viruses; flu from pigs
and ducks; and whooping cough from dogs. These pathogens developed and
spread easily because the animals lived in herds or packs. When they
were domesticated by the first farmers, the viruses were waiting to be
passed on. These so-called zoonotic diseases are then transmitted more
readily among humans because people themselves live in close proximity
to one another.
The above quote comes from an article
in a British newspaper. But what the writer says is not controversial.
It is an undisputed fact that domestication has ushered in a wide range
of serious diseases as a result of increased human-nonhuman contact.
Apart from any other consequences that ensue from eating animal
products, such as heart disease, cancer, etc., and not considering that
the environmental consequences of animal agriculture are nothing short
of disastrous, the level of human-nonhuman contact that is domestication is itself a very great danger to human survival.
So how can something that necessarily portends such heinous dangers be natural?
The short answer: it cannot be, unless what we regard what is
natural is that which will kill us. If anyone said ingesting poison
were natural, we would regard them as insane. So why we do we continue
to think of ourselves as rational when we regard as a natural and
integral part of our civilization an institution that is so lethal?
But, you say, we would never been able to sustain ourselves without
domestication; we needed animal foods from domesticated animals for our
population to grow and to have cities and civilization as we know (and
love) it. So although domestication has its dangers, it has its
benefits and we have to balance. Even if you are a fan of what passes
for modern civilization, this response misses the point that we could
have sustained ourselves with plant foods. Domestication is only
necessary in this context if it is the only choice and clearly it is
not.
The bottom line: if you think that we can justify the pain,
suffering, and death that we inflict on 53 billion animals annually
(not counting fish) by claiming that domestication is somehow natural,
or that the solution is to tinker at the edges and make factory farming
more “humane,” then think again.
To the extent that anything is natural, it is veganism. And veganism
is the only choice that respects the moral personhood of nonhuman
animals.
Should people eat meat? See the Opposing Views debate.
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Meat is tasty food . I cook it with fire. I like vegetables too, and they make the meat taste better. My shoes are made from animals , and I like to feel natural furs that come from furry animals. I like to sit on the leather seats in my car, and go through the drive through to get some meat.
I hear that some people would like to stop me from eating meat , but I just laugh at them, because they are silly and effeminate. Animals like to eat people because they have meat too, but it's wrong for people to eat people.
Hope this clears things up for you.
lol.
I disliked 'effeminate', but other that you're sound. All those vegans up there are retards and will die out if there's ever a drought or a bacteria that ruins their vegetable patch.
Kisses for you xxxxxxxx
We have evolved to be omnivores. Therefore, eating animals is most assuredly natural, and eating meat delivers nutrition to our bodies in the way our bodies have evolved to receive it.
I believe you are attempting to argue that eating animals is not moral. A sort of religious question, isn't it?
It's a bit rich for someone who's flying several thousand feet in the air in a large hunk of metal to ask you if your vegan meal is 'natural'.
Thanks for the article, Gary
@simple_vegan
Ok this is the 5th time i've tried to post this - I have no idea what is up with my computer or this site but hopefully this gets through.
In my comment above I talk about the acid in the stomachs of carnivores that help break down meat . This is meant to be
"hydrochloric acid" and not "hydrolic". This was a tying error and unintended - please excuse my typo - I have been working too much.
I can't believe all the illogical arguments against non- meat eaters there are. I suggest you all do your research and find out exactly why people are not suppose to eat meat.
To the 'cat lady': Your cat has the body built to hunt, eat and digest meat the way it should - humans don't. We may have carnivore teeth, but then so do horses and other herbivores - and our carnivores are not as sharp as those of a cat, or any other carnivore or omnivore for that matter.
Meat eaters have a high amount of hydrolic acid in their saliva and stomaches - 10 x more than humans - to break down meat as it should be.
Human saliva and stomachs are high in alkaline, to break down vegetation. We do not have enough acid in our stomach to break down the meat like a proper carnivore, so the meat sits in our stomachs and begins rotting before the breaking down process is complete.
Human enzymes, digestive tracks and organs are are all different to carnivores. Our kidneys, colon and liver are ill-equipped to process meat. Our intestines are also very long unlike those of a carnivores.
Food passes through them quickly but with humans, food doesn't get adequately processed and it gets clogged in our intestines.
All this can then lead to: Acid reflux/heartburn, bowel cancer , colon cancer, Irritable Bowel Syndrome, constipation and much more.
Eating meat may have allowed us to 'evolve' however it has also caused facial dwarfism and our teeth have become too big for our mouths.
Today it is rare that anyone has naturally straight teeth without having seen an orthodontist, our wisdom teeth don't fit in our jaw and sometimes don't form at all.
Also the propensity of gum disease is on the increase.
Also meat has been linked to the following (and is more common among meat eaters): Depression, appendicitis, breast cancer , prostate cancer, diabetes , gall stones, high blood pressure, indigestion, obesity , piles, strokes, varicose veins, cellulite and more!
I think someone stated "Just because something is natural doesn't mean that it's good for you". Say it to yourself - just because we can eat meat it does not mean it is good for us.
It was also stated, "I doubt that many vegans have thought through what the consequences would be if the world they seek is ever achieved. How many poor livestock animals would die of starvation once they have been set free?....."
Well this would be humans fault now wouldn't it? There have been many concequences from eating meat causing both humans, animals and the environment to suffer.
We over produce cattle every year and they live in horrible conditions and suffer much pain at the hands of humanity. We weren't meant to eat meat - if we stuck to our proper diets, cattle wouldn't be in the situation they are now. So I say that your argument proves that humans should not have ever started to eat meat.
All the problems that ReyMostaza has listed are all fault of humans only ever starting to eat meat.
"...Animals eat other animals ALL THE TIME." Well, not all animals, only those who are built to do so - and we, my friend, are not. Meat eaters have sharp claws, sharp teeth and are fast runners with great strength - they are BUILT to hunt. We on the other hand, are weak, our teeth don't even develop properly and our finger nails I am sure could not shread meat on their own. Just because we have the intelligence to build weapons to kill, doesn't mean we should.
The rest of your argument is 'rediculous' so I wont bother with you.
Have a nice day all!
I can't believe all the illogical arguments against non- meat eaters there are. I suggest you all do your research and find out exactly why people are not suppose to eat meat.
To the 'cat lady': Your cat has the body built to hunt, eat and digest meat the way it should - humans don't. We may have carnivore teeth, but then so do horses and other herbivores - and our carnivores are not as sharp as those of a cat, or any other carnivore or omnivore for that matter.
Meat eaters have a high amount of hydrolic acid in their saliva and stomaches - 1o x more than humans - to break down meat as it should be.
Human saliva and stomachs are high in alkaline, to break down vegetation. We do not have enough acid in our stomach to break down the meat like a proper carnivore, so the meat sits in our stomachs and begins rotting before the breaking down process is complete.
human enzymes, digestive tracks and organs are are all different to carnivores. Our kidneys, colon and liver are ill-equipped to process meat. our intestines are also very long unlike those of a carnivores.
Food passes through them quickly but with humans, food doesn't get adequetly processed and it gets clogged in our intestines.
All this can then lead to: Acid reflux/heartburn, bowel cancer , colon cancer, Irritable Bowel Syndrome, constipation and much more.
Eating meat may have allowed us to 'evolve' however it has also caused facial dwarfism and our teeth have become too big for our mouths.
Today it is rare that anyone has naturally straight teeth without having seen an orthodontist, our wisdom teeth don't fit in our jaw and sometimes don't form at all.
Also the propensity of gum disease is on the increase.
Also meat has been linked to the following (and is more common among meat eaters): Depression, appendicitis, breast cancer , prostate cancer, diabetes , gall stones, high blood pressure, indigestion, obesity , piles, strokes and varicose veins, cellulite and more!
I think someone stated "Just because something is natural doesn't mean that it's good for you". Say it to yourself - just because we can eat meat it does not mean it is good for us.
It was also stated, "I doubt that many vegans have thought through what the consequences would be if the world they seek is ever achieved. How many poor livestock animals would die of starvation once they have been set free?....."
Well this would be humans fault now wouldn't it? There have been many concequences from eating meat causing both humans, animals and the environment to suffer.
We over produce cattle every year and they live in horrible conditions and suffer much pain at the hands of humanity. We weren't meant to eat meat - if we stuck to our proper diets, cattle wouldn't be in the situation they are now. So I say that your argument proves that humans should not have ever started to eat meat.
All the problems that ReyMostaza has listed are all fault of humans only ever starting to eat meat.
"...Animals eat other animals ALL THE TIME." Well, not all animals, only those who are built to do so - and we, my friend, are not. Meat eaters have sharp claws, sharp teeth and are fast runners with great strength - they are BUILT to hunt. We on the other hand, are weak, our teeth don't even develop properly and our finger nails I am sure could not shread meat on their own. just because we have the intelligence to build weapons to kill, doesn't mean we should.
The rest of your argument is 'rediculous' so I wont bother with you.
Have a nice day all!
In early childhood, we read and learn about the circle of life. For one species to survive it must EAT what it needs. It must feed their young and grow strong. Ever watch the discovery channel/animal channel. Animals eat other animals ALL THE TIME. The sanctimonious attitude that is found with many (not all) vegans is ridiculous. Many have the same mindset as people found in cults.
Animals aren't people, they don't need aniimal rights- they need animal welfare.
I refuse to declare a cockroach the same (equal) as a human.
There's a lot to address here, so I'll break it down for all the vegans out there:
1) Just because something is natural doesn't mean that it's good for you. People do consume poison everyday, it's called alcohol and it has been vitally important to the survival of the human race. No matter what we do, we're all going to die: vegans and carnivores alike. If it makes you feel more invincible not to eat animals , don't.
2) I doubt that many vegans have thought through what the consequences would be if the world they seek is ever achieved. How many poor livestock animals would die of starvation once they have been set free? How would people survive themselves when we're all suddenly competing for the same limited resources as all of our recently freed livestock? 53 billion more mouths to feed each year roaming around, devestating the areas where we do most of our farming. How wonderful: to save animals from violence we can ALL starve to death.
3) The animals that would be released should we all become vegans are no longer animals that would be suited to survival without human intervention. We bred them that way and no matter how much you may dislike it, there's nothing that will change things now.
4)Think of the ecological damage that could be done to our water supply if all of our livestock were allowed to roam the land. The damage done now, with strict regulations, would be nothing compared to what would happen if there was no way to regulate any of that sewage run off. Ever heard of dead zones in water? They'd be everywhere.
If eating meat offends your morals, if you feel that you are depriving something of the rights conferred by "personhood" please, by all means, be a vegan, but please don't pretend that it is somehow the best possible lifestyle for human life.
If the world were go vegan tomorrow, which is very unlikely, but just to humor you, let's say that happens. We would have to care for the animals that exist today, but we would not allow anymore animal into existence. Intially this would be expensive, but the cost would be deceasing over time as domestic animal live out thier lives. Over the course of time, more food would become avialiable and we might even have the means to feed those humans that don't currently have most access to food.
I think what is more likely is a world becoming more vegan overtime. Which means domestic animals population will drop as less meat is consumed. By the time, the world goes vegan there will be far less domestic animals that would need to be cared for.
But personally, if the world did go vegan tomorrow, I would be more than willing to pay for care of the domestic animals until they live out thier natural lives.