Flesh Eaters

Philosophy and Ethics

BRENT SILBY
Unlimited (UPT)
The Ethics of eating meat

An argument against eating meat:

1. Intentionally causing harm to an animal is wrong

2. Eating meat involves intentionally causing harm to an animal
3. Therefore, eating meat is wrong

The argument is valid, but is it rationally convincing?

To answer this question, we must examine the premises
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Lets start with Premise 2:

Eating meat involves intentionally causing harm to an animal

Is this true?

Its difficult to see how this could be considered false.

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So what about Premise 1:

Intentionally causing harm to an animal is wrong

Is this true?

Is it okay to cause an animal harm if our survival depends on it?

For example, if a crazy dog starts attacking me, then surely I can
kill it to protect myself.

Most would answer “yes” to this question.

But doesn’t this presuppose that humans are more important than
animals?
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Are humans more important than animals?

Why? What is so special about being human?

Intelligence
Many animals are intelligent, and many humans lack intelligence

Consciousness
True, we are conscious, but how do we know animals are not?

We’re better looking

This is simply not true in all cases :)

Do these things make us different to animals?

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They look the same to me…

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Suppose you accept that we have a right to harm animals if our

survival depends on it.

Does it follow that we should eat meat?

Some Philosophers believe that it would only be okay to eat meat

in the most extreme circumstances.

But…
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Eating meat simply because we like the taste is wrong because our
survival does not depend on it.
Despite the advertising from meat companies, we do not need
meat to live.
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The ad was put together by the New Zealand Beef and Lamb
board. They want you to buy beef.

They don’t tell you that:

Men who eat beef three or more times a week are more than
twice as likely to have fatal ischemic heart disease than
vegetarians

They also don’t tell you that 39% of athletes specifically follow a
diet free of red meat (see: www.ausport.gov.au)
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We care about the treatment of animals, that’s why we have

fines and prison sentences for people who mistreat them.

Isn’t it contradictory to talk about the mistreatment of animals

while eating a steak dinner?

The treatment of animals sits at the heart of the debate

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For centuries people have force fed ducks and geese to grow
their liver to un-natural sizes

Ancient Egyptian depiction of force feeding

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A modern force-feed system

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Veal is produced by restraining a calf, and feeding it nothing but

milk.
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Isn’t this a better life for a calf?

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Factory farming of animals is considered an issue because the

animals cannot exhibit their natural behavior.

They are often kept in cramped conditions, fed hormones to

grow un-naturally quickly, and denied exposure to daylight.
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We wouldn’t want to be kept in these conditions, so why should

we treat animals this way?
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Do animals feel pain?

If animals suffer in a way similar to humans, then arguments

against human suffering should apply to animals

Many Philosophers and Scientists have worked on the question

of animal suffering, but the jury is still out.

Peter Singer believes suffering can be felt by creatures as small

as shrimps

Thomas Nagal draws the line at flounders

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Some theorists suggest that the ability to feel pain is related to

brain size.

Professor of animal husbandry, John Webster believes this is

faulty reasoning. He argues that all sentient animals have the
capacity to experience and seek out pleasure.

He says “…you only have to watch how cows and lambs both
seek and enjoy pleasure when they lie with their heads raised
to the sun on a perfect English summer’s day. Just like humans”

What’s wrong with this statement?

It is emotive and designed to anthropromorphize animals.

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They are cute though!

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Do animals feel pain?

Impossible to tell, rationally we should err on the side of caution

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The argument from Nature

1. In nature, it is okay for animals eat other animals

2. Humans are animals
3. Therefore, it is okay for humans to eat other animals

This is valid, but is it rationally convincing?

It commits the Naturalistic Fallacy

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When people suggest that an action is right simply because it

occurs in nature, they are committing the naturalistic fallacy.

Just because something happens in nature, it does not follow that

it is morally right.

Do you agree?
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Here are some examples of things that happen in nature:

1. Male lions eat the offspring of rival males

2. Female Chimpanzees kill their own offspring

3. Chimpanzees practice cannibalism

4. Male dolphins gang up and rape female dolphins

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For the rest of the session:

Free discussion on the question:

Is it Morally okay for people to eat meat?

Powerpoint by BRENT SILBY

Produced at UPT
Christchurch, New Zealand
www.unlimited.school.nz