Preview

Animals Vs Vegetarianism

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
1472 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Animals Vs Vegetarianism
The processed meat industry is an 800 billion dollar industry killing over 10 billion animals each in the United State alone. Factory farmed livestock account for over 99% of all the meat consumed by Americans even though they are raised in these despicable conditions. Many animals raised on factory farms live in abhorrent conditions where they are unable to turn around in their own cages, live in their own feces, and never even see the light of day.. Peter Singer dives into the idea that all animals are equal in a selection taken out of his book Animal Liberation, found in James and Stuart Rachels’ The Right Thing To Do, and advocates for the humane treatment of animals. Singer lays out the argument that it is morally wrong to make animals …show more content…
Vegetarians do not eat any meat but still consume egg and dairy products. However, the egg and dairy industry may also raise their animals in poor conditions, even organic, free-range, or “certified humane” farms. The male infant laying hens “are invariably killed as soon as they have been sexed” because they have “no commercial value” (Mason and Singer 279). Price could still arise as an issue for many because similar to the free-range and certified humane meat, these types of eggs and dairy products are also generally more expensive. “Veganism is a sure way of completely avoiding participation in the abuse of farm animals” which is what Singer believes is the only sure way of avoiding the unethical implications of eating factory farmed food (Mason 279). Singer gives compelling evidence and asserts that going vegan, despite the other alternatives, is the only sure way to avoid taking part in the abuse of animals. Since vegans do not consume any animal based products at all, they completely ensure that they are not promoting the abuse of farm animals anywhere in the production process. He further maintains that no matter how drastic the change away from supporting the factory farming industry could be on the individual at first, not doing so simply because it is difficult is an unsound moral …show more content…
If the suffering of the animals is taken into account to the level that Singer proposes then a drastic shift away from meat and abuse within the meat industry would occur. There are many alternatives to factory farmed meat such as free-range and certified humane meat, vegetarianism, and veganism. If enough people switched to these other options and stopped supporting the factory farming industry the producers be forced to change their practices to more humane ones. There is no moral justification to supporting the current abusive practices of the factory farming industry and anyone who partakes in it, willingly or not, is supporting the unethical practices that take

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    Bill McKibben’s essay “The Only Way to Have a Cow” establishes a sense of comfort as his approach to the meat eating controversy is superbly logical. The current industrial approach to livestock has birthed an issue pertaining to the sustainability and healthy feeding of our lives. Yet there is another problem in relation to our consumption, which tends to be overlooked. If the pricing of meat reflected in the damage done to our environments, feedlot beef would cost more than grass-fed beef both financially and environmentally. It is the rapid, inhumane dietary feeding of the cow which is insulting, not the consumption of it, and taking no responsibility for the run-off is an offense to the earth and it’s inhabitants. These costs alone are part of the reasoning for the current system which is inefficient and uneconomically feasible. The…

    • 506 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Our gustatory pleasure is not as important as the lives of animals. The example used in the article to explain this argument was the “Torturing Puppies” argument. Anyone who has compassion and emotions would agree that saving the lives of the puppies is the right thing to do, as opposed to killing them just for a momentary, gustatory experience. This is the same with the meat farms and consumers. Many animals such as chickens are ripped off of their beaks. Baby cows are put in cages to make their meat tender by not allowing their bones and muscles to grow. Pig’s tails are cut off and are subject to enclosed spaces. The living conditions of these animals are poor. Hormones are being injected into animals, negatively affecting the consumer’s overall health. All of this torture, just to kill these animals for gustatory pleasure, seems just as bad as the puppy example mentioned…

    • 635 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Vegans vs. Meateaters

    • 333 Words
    • 2 Pages

    As children, one of the first things we learn is to recognize the friendly barnyard animals. We easily can spot the furry cow with the gentle eyes, the…

    • 333 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Over the last few decades farming animals for food has grown and evolved into a highly efficient, streamlined industry known as factory farming. Factory farms are owned and operated by big corporations, and despite the fact they make up only a small percentage of farms in the United States, they are responsible for most of the meat and eggs we consume here (Sierra Club, 2005). In factory farming, baby piglets are castrated without anesthesia and thrown into a pen, where they huddle in a corner writhing in pain. Egg laying chickens are crammed four or five to a cage (45x50cm) for their entire lives. They cannot spread their wings or stretch out in any way, and they never see daylight. To prevent them from pecking at one another, their beaks are brutally burnt or sliced to a stub. To produce veal, newborn calves are confined in small crates and restrained to allow a minimum of movement until they are slaughtered at just five months old. Factory farmed animals are treated like non-living commodities, suffering horrendous cruelties to produce the maximum profit at the least amount of cost. In recent years public awareness about factory farming conditions has grown, and so have concerns over animal cruelty and public health. The general public should not tolerate animal cruelty in the factory farming industry because it is extremely inhumane to animals and it represents a growing health hazard for human beings; instead, consumers should put pressure on the industry to change the way animals are treated and to ensure farms do not pose a threat to public health.…

    • 2009 Words
    • 9 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    Daniel Engster begins his argument in the “Care Ethics, Factory Farms, and Moral Vegetarianism” section of his article by claiming that we have a responsibility to care for the animals we make dependent upon us. He continues to explain the deplorable conditions of factory farms and that the animals raised for meat are not properly cared for. Engster gives responsibility to not only the workers and overseers of factory farms, but…

    • 441 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    Pros And Cons Of Veganism

    • 631 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Many stereotypes have become associated with veganism. It is said to be extreme because of the politics that are involved with vegan’s voices and dollars. Vegans abstain from wearing leather, fur, wool, pearls or anything that comes from an animal meaning they shop alternatively. They buy clothes and shoes made from plant materials such as hemp which are manufactured in an ethical form. There is substantial advocacy for animals online and in city streets with explicit images of what goes on behind the veil of these big food industries. These advocating vegetarians and vegans can come off as bold and overbearing. Their messages are loud though, most of the vegan culture does not devote to dedication such as theirs. Although the production of…

    • 631 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    Tom Regan's Position

    • 1157 Words
    • 5 Pages

    An Argumentative essay that looks at and breaks down the philosophical difference between Tom Regan’s position on Animal rights and, Peter Singer’s position on Animal liberation as a basis for better treatment of animals.…

    • 1157 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Phil. outline

    • 779 Words
    • 4 Pages

    IV. Singer gives three ways which a utilitarian condemnation of the treatment of farm animals falls short when entitling we should switch to a vegetarian diet.…

    • 779 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Singer’s article criticizes factory farms for industrializing their farming practices and sacrificing good animal husbandry practices for increases in production. Singer indicates the ridiculous amount of animals affected by factory farm mistreatment by stating “[t]he use and abuse of animals raised for food far exceeds, in sheer numbers of animals affected, any other kind of mistreatment” (“Down on” 19). Singer evaluates the reasoning behind factory farmer’s unethical practices, and concludes that “farming is competitive and the methods adopted are those that cut costs and increase production” (“Down on” 20). By cutting costs and increasing production rates factory farming industry workers accumulate more wealth, and consumers are able consume more meat then physically necessary. One can evaluate this luxury the “Principle of Disproportionality” which states that “[a]ctions that meet nonbasic or luxury needs of humans are prohibited when they aggress against the basic needs of animals” (Sterba…

    • 530 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Each philosopher has a different view on whether or not it is wrong for Americans to go into a grocery store and buy factory farmed food because, that would mean we are supporting an industry that puts profits first in line instead of the animals rights like causing them harm. Americans are not wrong for buying factory farmed food. Factory farmed food is not wrong because, if buying factory farmed food is what certain people like it is not wrong for them to buy it, other people can not judge people on what they like to eat. However if you think buying factory farmed food is wrong than you have probably already done something about it and is a vegan. For all factory farms to be shut down everyone would have to go vegan and not eat meat from these factory farms or they would have to be made illegal if they were doing something wrong in the laws eyes.…

    • 506 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The author argues inherent value. Regan points out animals should be able to experience life with inherent value of their own. Addressing commercial animal agriculture, the author declares "The fundamental moral wrong here is not that animals are kept in stressful close confinement or in isolation, or that their pain and suffering, their needs and preferences are ignored or discounted." Regan continues the only way to right the wrong would be to stop…

    • 684 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Today’s world is filled with media that aims to influence its viewers. However, not all media is true. Websites and articles try to persuade their viewers that being vegan is what consumers need to do to end animal cruelty. One such article that discusses this matter is Animal, Vegetable, Miserable by Gary Steiner. Steiner claims that meat eaters are self-righteous and commit mass murder against animals (846). However, several articles have proven that Steiner’s claims are false. These articles include: Defense of Eating Meat by Timothy Hsiao, Vegetarian Diets and Bone Status by Katherine Tucker, and Animal Protein Good for Health by Amanda Radke. In addition, the movie Temple Grandin portrays that feedlots have improved the treatment of cattle…

    • 2255 Words
    • 10 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Factory Farming

    • 693 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Factory -farming is not only irresponsible and in many ways a form of animal abuse, it’s also an existing danger to consumers buying animal products which aren’t properly taken care of or sanitized. For most American consumers today the concept of where there food really came from, or what kind of life an animal led before it was Sunday’s dinner doesn’t cross their mind. In the past, animal derived food products have been linked to but not restricted to such illnesses as diabetes, osteoporosis, heart disease, and even cancer. Due to the high demand for food production such as meat, poultry, dairy, and eggs, an animal’s quality of life has gone down dramatically in the past years. What does that mean? That means animals are being bred at a higher rate, pumped up with steroids, and being confined to smaller quarters.…

    • 693 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    From pollution and climate change to protection against major diseases, such as Cancer, Type II Diabetes, and Obesity, all of them major concerns in the 21st century(Curfman, 2009). Trying to find a cure in medicine and not succeeding, well what if medicine is the wrong way to go when trying to find cures ? Mother nature has the ability to give us all kinds of cures, it’s been used for thousands of years for healing and relieving our suffering. Even with all of the advances in 21st century medicine and knowledge, we still have all these problems in the world(Strumillo). However, we as a community have the power in our hands to change and reduce all of our world problems. Most of our health problems come from how our diets have become so poor in nutrients and quality. When walking in a fast food…

    • 1601 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    Meat Eaters vs Vegetarians

    • 1076 Words
    • 5 Pages

    If you have to choose between meat eaters and vegetarians, which side would you select? Personally we understand that vegetarian’s people eat healthier than the meat eaters but even doe, we consider our self meat eaters. Meat eaters and vegetarians are extremely different in terms of flavor and health.…

    • 1076 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Better Essays