Eating meat has been an important part of human life since the beginning of our civilization. Meats provide energy and nutrients that sustain a person’s health. It is especially important to our ancestors during the hunter-gather period when physical energy is the key to survival. Later, our civilization invented animal domestication. Animals has become a reliable source of energy for different societies.
Throughout thousands of years, people were born into this history. The history that sees animals as food. The history that sees eating meat from animals as normal. It is hard for people to review their choice of eating meat. I was the same, until a few years ago.
I was reading some weird comics. There was one that caught my attention. It was about some wealthy people eating other humans. They eat cooked humans in a grand dining room just as the way people normally eat in real life. Those humans that are served are still in form, just as the way Chinese restaurants served the pigs during a wedding or some festivals. The comic graphics showed disgusting gore of human meat with the wealthy people eating them happily. I am not practically disgusted by that. I think I am more immune to that kind of thing than the others. But it makes me reflect, how do we justify our behaviors on eating meat?
I had an answer to that. My answer was that humans have dominated other species. Other animals are subordinated to us. On the other hand, there are a few reasons why we do not eat animals like dogs and cats. I am not writing it down here because some animals lovers may not like this. So I will just say because they are cute, although it is not a valid reason.
A few years later, which is a few days before I write this, I finished reading Peter Singer’s Why Vegan?
I don’t want to summarize the book because it was arguing something. If I summarize it inaccurately, people may think there are flaws in his argument, but instead, it is my fault. So I will just express my point of view, with me borrowing points from the book. I know it is not a good way of writing, but this is not serious writing. So whatever.
At this moment, I think eating meat is wrong. The suffering we caused to animals is unnecessary and should be avoided. My idea of human dominating other species is problematic. In what way is the idea of domination measured? Strength, IQ? If we see it that way, then there is no point to talk about equality among humans. We talk about equality to cater to people with lower attributes. We should also recognize that in animals. For thousands of years, we exploit the animal group by making them our food, causing unnecessary suffering to them. The fact that they cannot speak our language makes it hard for humans to recognize their rights. They cannot organize protests like people of color or women did. Most people do not think. Even if we think, we may not think of something that seems normal since the beginning of our history.
I don’t want to go too deep on this. There are a few problems that are left discussed, like the practical problem of putting moral ideas into action. I may write another one if I have better ideas.
