The Emerging Ethics of Meat

The ethics of meat consumption have become much more complex than a standoff between devoted carnivores and vegetarians who espouse the value of animal rights. Humane treatment of animals by the meat industry and the environmental and humanitarian implications of meat consumption are also on the table. With the issues of world hunger and the future of the ecosystem growing more pressing, meat consumption is at the center of a convergence of timely ethical questions.

On Eating Meat

BEING NOT DOING - Responding to Mark Bittman’s New York Times article on the ethics of meat consumption, Being Not Doing notes that Bittman seems to advocate vegetarianism without ever using the word. She concludes that, while the rise of the organic and green movements has made reduced meat consumption more fashionable, the “vegetarian” label still carries a social stigma. Remarking that vegetarianism is a “multi-faceted philosophy of interaction with the natural world,” she ponders whether one can be a vegetarian on a philosophical level while still (occasionally) eating animal products. ...

Ethics, Animals

SALLY HASLANGER - Sally Haslanger debates the ethical merits of enforced vegetarianism against continuing to consume animal products as a means of supporting poor nations whose economies are dependent on the meat industry. She concludes that a hypothetical immediate ban on animal products would be unethical, instead advocating more humane treatment of animals and the gradual development of non-animal food and clothing solutions. Haslanger also notes that equitable food distribution and environmentally friendly food production are related ethical issues that need to be considered. ...

Just Hungry

MAKI ITOH - Contemplating her philosophy on food and the purpose of her blog, Just Hungry, Maki Itoh decides that her ultimate gastronomical commitment is to “real food,” which she defines as unprocessed and organic products. She makes the argument that “real food” not only tends to be more ethically produced, it also taste better than more commercial activities. Noting how her own preferences have evolved, she acknowledges that what tastes good is a matter of conditioning, and that, in today’s marketplace, eating “real food” requires surplus time and money. ...

2.7.08

11:59 AM -

On Population growth

meatandpotatoes - It wasnt long ago that theorists predicted population growth would out run food production growth causing global starvation. Fortunately innovation in technology has allowed mechanized agriculture systems, pesticides, etc etc. and we can all eat.
Global populations are only growing more quickly these days, and without our evolving techniques of producing more food at lower costs, we'd all be in a bit of trouble.
If you want food from ethical sources, put a farm in your back yard and let me know how it goes.

11:41 AM -

Slippery Slope

Anonymous - Here are some thoughts. A vegetarian doesn't eat meat because he thinks it's cruel, but he probably wears leather sneakers. Someone may not wear a fur coat because he thinks it's cruel, but he probably eats meat (I wonder if he knows how beef cows are treated?)

11:40 AM -

Mmmmmmm..... I'm hungry.

sultanofswing - You know what I have a hankering for right now? Pork. Ground pork. Sauteed. In tomato sauce. Delicious. Is it lunch time?

I think that Americans as a society have become so disconnected from where their meat comes from, that the cycle of pig/pork has become very disconnected. I guess that it is a product of our supermarket culture. This has a dual-impact of making people go to either extreme of thinking that meat is evil or eating massive amounts of really bad quality meat that destroy their health. Sustainable eating (both for the environment and for the individual) requires a closer intimacy with where exactly that supermarket aisle meat is coming from. Take away point: move to a farm.

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