Don Accor

Professor Graham

RHET 1312 Composition II

03/11/17

The Morality of Eating Meat

Every day we consume thousands of calories that are vital for the

sustainment of our lives. The types of food we eat play different roles in

strengthening our bodies. Some of the food we eat helps us, while other types can

be detrimental to our health. The consumption of meat specifically, is not

necessarily necessary. Not only is eating meat immoral, it can also lead to a variety

of life threatening health issues. During this excerpt we will be discussing the moral

and ethical principles of eating meat, and what some philosophers, writers, vegans,

and vegetarians have to say about this issue.

While watching Is It Wrong to Eat Animals by John Robbins, I was able to gain

some insight on his perspective of eating animals. John Robbins is a dedicated

vegan who believes in animal equality, which gives his argument credibility. He

begins his speech by taking the claim that it is wrong to eat animals. To support his

claim, he argues that it is wrong to eat animals simply because a life was taken

(Robbins, Is It Wrong to Eat Animals). This absolute claim is beneficial to the

argument because instead of saying an animals life was taken, he states that a life

was taken. Robbins makes a valid point because no matter whose life was taken,

the important thing is that a life was taken. With that being said, is taking a life just?

To avoid any confusion about what the term just means, according to the Merriam
Webster dictionary it means agreeing with what is considered morally right or good.

Any time a life is taken, it is wrong. There is not any case that pardons the act of

murder. Since eating animals requires that their lives be taken, why do we condone

such practices of eating them?

Some people might argue that killing animals for food is not wrong. For

instance, during 7 Reasons Not to Avoid Meat by Kris Gunnars, he gives his positon

on the situation. Kris Gunnars is a nutrition researcher with a Bachelors degree in

medicine. One valid point he makes is that our digestive systems are well suited to

make full use of the fats, proteins, and nutrients found in animal foods. Humans also

have shorter digestive systems than herbivores and we dont have the specific

organs to digest cellulose. Cellulose is the main fiber found in plants. Gunnars also

makes a significant point by incorporating history into his argument. He claimed

that meat was one of the reasons humans were able to evolve such large,

elaborate brains (Gunnars,7 Reasons Not to Avoid Meat). I understand where Kris is

coming from because meat has been a large part of our evolution as human beings.

Who knows where humans would be if we had not included meat into our diet?

Gunnars also mentioned that some of the earliest evidence shows that our

ancestors were eating meat as early as 1.5 million years ago. Another reason he

gives not to avoid meat is the fact that we need many nutrients found in meat, that

is not found in plants. For example, creatine serves an energy source in the brain

and muscles and is only found in animal foods. Carnosine functions as an anti-

oxidant which protects the body from many diminishing processes that would cause

the body to become weaker. Although some people may argue that eating animals

is essential, I disagree. Even Kris Gunnars himself stated there is no actual need for

it in the diet either (Gunnars, 7 Reasons Not to Avoid Meat). He considered those
who do not eat meat for ethical or environmental reasons can still be perfectly

healthy without eating animals.

Furthermore, Nutrition Coach Kadya Araki gives her stance on eating meat

during her article Why All Humans Need to Eat Meat for Health. Her views are

similar to those of Kris Gunnars, except she includes a few more details on why we

need to eat meat. She argues that we were created to eat meat. She supports her

argument by taking a biological approach to eating animals. For example, she

discusses how we have incisors and molars. Incisors are the narrow edged teeth at

the front of the mouth adapted specifically for cutting. Kadya claims that the

incisors that we have are for tearing meat. Molars are the large, flat teeth found at

the back of our mouths intended for grinding food. Kadya argues that we have both

in order to be able to eat meat. This specific point being made is significant because

she also argues that if we were meant to consume vegetables only, our digestive

systems would be similar to that of the cow. Cows have four stomachs with the

ability to ferment cellulose in order to break down all plant material. On the other

hand, humans dont possess this special ability. Meat is high in protein quality, that

which we need to build bone and muscle to our bodies. Without protein, we wouldnt

be able to gain muscle mass or bone density, which would cause us to be more

fragile and prone to injury.

Although meat has been proven to provide plenty of health benefits, it also

has its negative effects. As a result of eating meat, humans take in other life

threatening substances as well. Meat usually contains high fat content, which can

lead to heart disease. Bacteria and parasites are also found in some of the meat

consumed by humans. Drugs and hormones used to control meat portion sizes are

also ingested when humans decide to eat meat. Some people may argue that meat
is the only source of protein. Fortunately, it is not the only sufficient source of

protein. Not only does eggs provide protein, it also contains several B vitamins that

are responsible for fueling our bodies with energy. One single, hard-boiled egg

produces as much as six grams of protein. Nuts and peanut butter can also serve

the same purpose of providing sufficient amounts of protein. For instance, two

tablespoons of peanut butter alone contain 8 grams of protein, along with other

essential monounsaturated fats. Another source of protein that comes to mind is

beans. Different types of beans produce different amounts of protein. Pinto beans

produce 15.5 grams of protein per cup, kidney beans offer up to 15 grams per cup,

and soybeans produce as much as 28.5 grams of protein per cup!

Despite the duration of consuming meat, it has not yet been proven that it is

morally permissible to kill animals for food. Animals endure immeasurable suffering

for the duration of their lives just to satisfy our appetites. During Animal Equality by

Peter Singer, he goes on to defend the position of eating meat to be immoral. Singer

is a moral philosopher who teaches at numerous universities. In modern factories

today, animals are fed big amounts of food and forced to live in air tight spaces in

order to produce larger portions of meat. Animals have muscles, as well as feelings,

just like we do. However, they are beaten and slaughtered without the consideration

of the pain being caused. Peter talks about the equality of animals holistically, and

when compared to humans. During his speech he states that their pain counts just

as much as those of human beings (Singer, Animal quality). I agree with Singer in

his efforts because if you harm animals, they will cry out shouts of pain just like we

would. So, is such a thing moral? Tyler Dogget, a philosophical professor at the

University of Vermont, also gives reasons why it is immoral to kill animals for food.

He states that 20,000,000 pigs were killed last year for food (Dogget, Philosophy-
Ethics: Killing Animals for Food). To support his argument, he talks about how there

is not any reason that makes it permissible to kill animals for food, but not humans.

He does this by a way of comparison. For example, humans being smarter than pigs

does not explain it. He also mentions that us caring about humans but not pigs do

not explain it either. Furthermore, us being different species does not make it

permissible either.

The consumption of meat has been a part of the human diet for millions of

years. Not only has it become traditions on holidays, but Instead helped us advance

and evolve as human beings. However, our ancestors did not have much of a choice

but to eat meat in order to survive. We have a plethora of options for food today

that does not involve eating animals. Either way, there still is not any evidence that

makes it permissible to take animals lives for food. Also, technically, doesnt killing

animals for food make us selfish, inconsiderate, murderous savages? Animals

endure excruciating pain while remaining oblivious to the public. For example,

swine, sheep, calves, cattle, and goats are all shocked unconscious before being

severed in large machines. Chickens are killed by being passed through an

electrified water bath while shackled and unable to move. This sort of torture is not

in any way excusable. If the public were not so ignorant to the mistreatment of

animals, only then would people start to make a difference. In fact, during Is It

Wrong to Eat Animals by John Robbins, he ultimately proclaims that when we start

to question where our food comes from, that is when we will start to take

responsibility for our actions.

 Works Cited

Robbins, John . "John Robbins: Is it wrong to eat animals?" YouTube. YouTube, 12 Apr.

2009. Web. 10 Mar. 2017. <https://www.youtube.com/watch?

v=bbVRugmzuDs>.
YouTube. YouTube, 26 Oct. 2011. Web. 10 Mar. 2017.

<https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=av22cRQNBiQ>.

YouTube. YouTube, 24 July 2014. Web. 10 Apr. 2017.

<https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3HAMk_ZYO7g>.

Gunnars, Kris. "7 Reasons Not to Avoid Meat (Unless if You Want to)." Authority

Nutrition. N.p., 18 Mar. 2016. Web. 10 Mar. 2017.

<https://authoritynutrition.com/7-evidence-based-health-reasons-to-eat-

meat/>.

Araki, Kadya. "Why All Humans Need to Eat Meat for Health." Breaking Muscle. N.p.,

n.d. Web. 10 Mar. 2017. <https://breakingmuscle.com/fuel/why-all-humans-

need-to-eat-meat-for-health>.