Comments on: why I became vegan http://thisfieldisrequired.com/2009/09/05/why-i-became-vegan/ ethics, education, et cetera Thu, 09 Sep 2010 22:19:03 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0.1 By: thisfieldisrequired http://thisfieldisrequired.com/2009/09/05/why-i-became-vegan/comment-page-1/#comment-51 thisfieldisrequired Tue, 22 Sep 2009 05:38:19 +0000 http://thisfieldisrequired.com/?p=139#comment-51 Hey Robert, sorry for the huge delay, I have been slacking off. You're right that B & D are weaker, and veganism doesn't really logically follow from the arguments as given. But there a few things vegans usually say in response to the suggestion that we just buy humanely treated animal products. First of all, there is the accurate labeling issue, which is huge. But even if you assume that away, there are still some welfare problems inherent to animal production, particularly on a large scale. For instance, dairy cows must be impregnated in order to lactate, but then the baby cows are taken away from them so they don't drink the milk that is to be sold. This is quite distressing to both mother and baby. When the baby is female, she might go on to be a dairy cow, but there are not enough resources to keep all the male babies around too. There are similar problems with producing eggs (unwanted male chicks). And while it might be possible to raise cows, pigs and chickens for meat humanely, it is even more grossly inefficient than factory farming in terms of feed/land/water required per calorie of meat produced. This introduces issues of social justice: so only rich people can have animal foods? Why try to shame poor people out of buying animal products they want and can afford? So at this point, many vegans (who also believe that being vegan is nutritionally adequate and that animal foods are only for taste) draw their conclusion that purchasing/consuming all animal foods is morally unacceptable. So basically, you're right, but the matter is more complicated than it might appear. pjsw Hey Robert, sorry for the huge delay, I have been slacking off. You’re right that B & D are weaker, and veganism doesn’t really logically follow from the arguments as given. But there a few things vegans usually say in response to the suggestion that we just buy humanely treated animal products. First of all, there is the accurate labeling issue, which is huge. But even if you assume that away, there are still some welfare problems inherent to animal production, particularly on a large scale. For instance, dairy cows must be impregnated in order to lactate, but then the baby cows are taken away from them so they don’t drink the milk that is to be sold. This is quite distressing to both mother and baby. When the baby is female, she might go on to be a dairy cow, but there are not enough resources to keep all the male babies around too. There are similar problems with producing eggs (unwanted male chicks). And while it might be possible to raise cows, pigs and chickens for meat humanely, it is even more grossly inefficient than factory farming in terms of feed/land/water required per calorie of meat produced. This introduces issues of social justice: so only rich people can have animal foods? Why try to shame poor people out of buying animal products they want and can afford? So at this point, many vegans (who also believe that being vegan is nutritionally adequate and that animal foods are only for taste) draw their conclusion that purchasing/consuming all animal foods is morally unacceptable. So basically, you’re right, but the matter is more complicated than it might appear.

pjsw

]]> By: Robert J Neal http://thisfieldisrequired.com/2009/09/05/why-i-became-vegan/comment-page-1/#comment-50 Robert J Neal Mon, 14 Sep 2009 06:42:31 +0000 http://thisfieldisrequired.com/?p=139#comment-50 If you hold B or D couldn't you simply eat animal products from humanely treated animals, assuming that the foods are accurately labeled? It seems extreme to me to go from B or D to cannot eat animal products. Obviously if you hold A you cannot eat meat. And obviously if you hold C you cannot eat animal products. But B and D seem to be weaker in those regards. If you hold B or D couldn’t you simply eat animal products from humanely treated animals, assuming that the foods are accurately labeled? It seems extreme to me to go from B or D to cannot eat animal products. Obviously if you hold A you cannot eat meat. And obviously if you hold C you cannot eat animal products. But B and D seem to be weaker in those regards.

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