Question: Can someone explain to me the logic behind being a vegetarian/vegan to stop animal cruelty?

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Answer #1:

It's really easy. Very easy. Animals feel pain, vegetables don't.

Answer #2:

If you eat organic meats, you're okay. Vegetarians should do that. I understand not wanting to eat meat from a cow that has been brutally killed. But free range chickens and organic meat, those are absolutely fine. They weren't brutally killed.

Answer #3:

I AM not A VEGAN and certainly agree on all fronts. people claim animal cruelty, but treat other people like dirt on their shoe!!! what about "people cruelty"!!!!!! i do not understand it myself. i will be reading your replies!

Answer #4:

In all fairness, plants, bacteria and fungi, are not sentinent beings. Neither do they possess cognitive thinking patterns, Unlike animals. Technically humans are animals... just way smarter than all the other species.
I see where you're coming from about caring about life, and how people would have to live very different lives, and some people do actually do that, but usually for vegans/vegetarians, it's about preventing the slaughter of animals for human consumption, they argue the animals have feelings.
Mind you, vegans take it pretty far, with the whole, not consuming any animal products...
Ahwell. It makes no sense, Unless the whole population of the world becomes Vegetarian, these people wont make a difference.
Sorry for being so vague, but its a question that could have an essay as an answer, and I wanted to avoid that haha.

Answer #5:

I hope your are smart enough to realize that plants in fact do not have feelings. I think when your science teacher told you that "plants are alive", you took it as far as to thinking they had feelings. No.

Animals do feel pain, and they do have feelings. As marvelous as plants seem, they are simply run by natural chemicals, which makes them do things that allow them to survive, not brains or muscles.

The logic is that they don't want to support the slaughtering of animals.

I really don't know any other way to put it to you...?

Answer #6:

plants do not have brains, therefore they do not know, or care about being killed

Answer #7:

First, I think a lot of people don't view ALL killing of animals for food as cruelty. Early humans hunted to survive and I think most people accept that some killing of animals for food is OK. What people object to is animals being factory farmed in a cruel and inhumane way, which is where a lot of the meat in our supermarkets and restaurants comes from.

Second, people object to this inhumane treatment of animals and not of plants because animals can feel pain and are conscious. Plants are not conscious and can't feel pain.

It's not caring about taking life; we know that we have to take life to sustain our own life. It's about treating other life on the planet with respect, whether it's a plant or animal. In the case of a plant, then, it's just as bad to go clearcutting rainforests and eliminating entire species as it is to factory farm pigs and chickens and make cows eat cut up parts of other cows and live in their own waste. If we hunt rabbits but let the species carry on and live alongside us, that is acceptable. If we start to raise rabbits in cages where they can't move for their entire life, never see the sun, and have to eat other rabbits, then it becomes animal cruelty.

Answer #8:

Ever been to a slaughter house?

Picture THOUSANDS of chickens stuffed into cages so small they can't move around, and stacked on top on each other. All they do is eat, stand in place, and crap down on the chickens beneath them.

Imagine leading a cow by the rope tied around it's neck to a post where it's tied down so you can pummel it over the head with a sledge hammer. And you have to do it a few times. Cow's don't always go down on the first swing.

Then move over to the baby cows. Kept immobile from birth, their throats will be slit and they will slowly bleed to death. But that's how we get veal, and the meat cuts like buttah! Mmmmmm!!!

And the meat you got for your BBQ this weekend? Well, you ever wonder how any one cow could taste so good? It can't. Every package of ground meat you get contains at least 3 different cows. Some from here. Maybe some from Paraguay. Perhaps a bit of Mexican cow. All ground together god-knows-where.

And pigs... Well. Eating pigs is just plain wrong no matter what.

What makes PEOPLE so special that they can't be killed even if it brings about a much greater good?
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To say that an animals purpose is to be eaten because that's "it's function in society..." I don't mean to sound rude, but this really is a weak grasp.

By your logic, my horse can live because he carries my tools. And my dogs can live because they chase the squirrels out of my field and protect my home when I am away. ALL of my animals are part of a therapy program for disabled children. My animals are contributing to society.

But my able-bodied and lazy neighbor who doesn't have a job and has sponged welfare for years can be killed.

And if nutrition is the greater good, then you'd be a vegan.

It's FACT that a vegetarian diet is healthier and easier for the body to digest. The nutrients INJECTED into cows, chickens, pigs, fish, etc., and even those sprayed over your cereals before they are boxed, are found NATURALLY... where?

Right... Fruits. Veggies. Grains.

Answer #9:

Well, vegetables don't have brains or feelings. Animals have feelings, hearts, brains & they feel every bit of the pain they're experiencing.

Answer #10:

ha ha good one....
been a vegetarian for 9 years....
don't know how to answer that!
i feel like i contradict myself on a daily basis.... i use products that have been tested on animals, shampoo, tooth paste ext. kill bugs with raid....
i realize all this, trust me I do....
but iv been a vegetarian for so long now, i just find it disgusting to eat meat. plus i would get so sick if i were to eat it again...
yeah...

Answer #11:

As Will said, we are ourselves part of the animal kingdom, and that *is* different from non-sentient forms of life such as plants and fungi. We can empathise with animals because we know that their experience of existence is broadly similar to our own.

To my mind it is meat-eaters who are being illogical, as it seems to be generally agreed that it is OK to eat some animals but not others. I have heard that carnivorous animals may taste nasty, so that could in part explain why most meat-eaters don't eat cats and dogs. But why is it OK to eat a wild rabbit, but not a rabbit that has been kept as a pet? This to me is like saying that I wouldn't eat my son, but I might eat one of his friends in a lean week...

I'm intrigued to know, what is the "much greater good" you speak of? My own experience of vegetarianism (24 years) has been entirely positive - what am I missing? Clogged arteries, poor digestive transit and an increased risk of food poisoning spring to mind...

If you have to cheat on your spouse in order to survive, it is probably kinder to do it while they're at work than when they're right there in the bed next to you.

Answer #12:

Plants don't feel and think the way that all of us animals do. Plants don't get squished up in tiny spaces waiting for the day they get beat to death. They don't feel the fear animals do. They don't feel the insticts animals do. They don't have the intellect that animals do. They never have to experience the suffering, the pain, the loss that animals do. They don't endure the horrific hostility every day of their lives that animals are forced to feel becuase of disgusting humans that care about nothing more than greasing it up and selling it to millions of people so they can enjoy their little hamburger and fries. I've been a vegetarian for 3 and a half years by choice and I couldn't imagine it any other way. And it is astonishing to me that people can still sit there and enjoy their meal knowing all of the suffering caused by perfectly innocent creatures just for their plate of food.

Answer #13:

It depends on the person.
To speak personally, I don't eat animals or their by-products because I believe they are sentient beings who live for themselves and are not here to be used by us. It is apparent to me that they are intelligent and that they do feel. I don't want to take life away from them, I don't believe it is my right.

If I needed their flesh to survive, it would be very different. But I don't. However, to survive, I do need to eat SOMETHING.
I do respect and love the environment, plants and trees and all, and I do have a respect for all life, even the life we can't see. But live eats life to live. I am a part of the food chain. What I do is eat as low as I can on the food chain, and cause as little suffering as I can by doing so. Notice I say - as little suffering - not no suffering. It may well be that plants can feel, can think, but nonetheless I believe I am diminishing the amount of suffering felt in the world by eating things that are only plant based. And I eat because I must live. (but sometimes I eat because I really want a massive bowl of pasta).
You should know (call me a hippie all you like!) that I even feel bad about flower stores. I love recieving or giving flowers, but at the same time there is a twinge of guilt at killing life where it is not necessary. But no, I am not going to boycott flower stores or anything!
I am disgusted by logging of forests and rainforests, and by the destruction of natural habitats.
As for chemicals and bleach, I don't use them. I use environmentally friendly household products. I will only use it if the problem will affect my hygiene, because my hygiene is necessary to my health, and my health necesary to my life. So yes, I use soap. I don't want to pick up infections and such.

I don't think it's about 'animals are so special'. I think it's because we can recognise elements of our internal life in them, and so we can empathise.

You said the function animals serve in society is to be eaten, and this is for nutrition. Which is definitely debatable. As a vegan I can't agree, I do not think animals or their by products are nutritious. At the very least, the health risks of eating them outweigh the benefits. You could read the China Study. It isn't propaganda, it is written by a scientist who believes in his research, and has, by all appearances, proved it. He was not vegan.

Anyway hopefully some of this makes sense to you. If not, it's a debate I enjoy, so if you have a reply please do!

Answer #14:

It's not a case of a plant not knowing what's happening to them. Your logic is flawed. If your spouse found out, sure, they would be hurt, but this situation is only wrong because the spouse has the potential to find out. How would a plant find out? Tell me, how does a plant suffer? It is true that they are down on Evolution, with basic actions of thriving on life. However, they do not have senses or nerves. The whole ethical focus is that you are causing needless pain. Just because something is a "living thing" doesn't mean it qualifies as it depends on other factors. Of course, all animals have different capacities and different abilities and levels of intelligence. I have no idea of all the peculiar sea creatures with different forms and functions. It's irrelevent how we catagorize and seperate other earthlings.

"To truly care about life, you would have to give up soap"

Stop using the word life, it is so vague. What's the sake of living? Animals aren't meant for our consumption no more than I was meant for another species. Just because we have intelligence doesn't mean we are superior because even though exceptions show appreciation and help, even though we've created cures for illness, found explanations, some have damaged our planet in the process of learning and pure greed. Some bacteria are harmful. It's not wrong to take an antibiotic if your immune system is attacked by bacteria.

Just because you can't do everything doesn't mean you shouldn't do something. I'm proud to be imperfect. Just as sins are stretched all the time,You have to draw the line somewhere. Veganism is at the heart of vegetarianism. It is a philosophy. It's a lifestyle. Otherwise, we would starve and die, and all life would die. Sometimes we are ignorant to the careless things that we do in daily life which affect other sentinent beings and the environment. You can't always say you completely eliminated it but at least you are trying for the sake of humanity and the animal kingdom. They support us, we have no right to abuse them, and take advantage of their nature just because it's convenient for us. That's selfish. Vegetarianism/Veganism is about creating awareness, having respect for life and loving others.

The cycle of life - Don't get me started. I have no problem with the cycle of life. When I see something get eaten alive in a wildlife documentary, it sucks sympathy out of me. It makes me wish I could stop it. However, I am accepting and at terms with that. I have no problem with a baby elephant dying so that a big pride of 20 hungry lions could survive. I'm not in denial about how the food chain works. Saying that, if *insert insane scenario here with a low likelyhood* was to happen, then maybe I would consider eating meat. If I was a carnivore without the different sources of food, I would have no choice. Also, despite the fact we are animals, we do not behave animalistically or barbarically anymore. We have the ability to reason. Animals are wild and rely on instinct most of the time. I'm not going to go into detail into their varying understanding with examples. Wild animals do not have morals. Just because you can do something, doesn't mean you should.

It's not even a case of "survival of the fittest." The animals we kill are bred into existance. It is not hunting. It is raising for the purpose of killing because it's 'easier' to supply the rest of the world which is high in numbers. There is a demand for meat therefore, how we get that result is sometimes not important. It is an industry, that's how they make their money and sometimes they take shortcuts because it is cheaper. That doesn't mean that they can't treat their farm animals well in the meantime but that's their tragic fate that they were born into that circumstance. Those animals have been controlled and domesticated by humans. If humans have that 'divine' right because they "Did the working out" or the math, or because "only the strongest survive" then why can't we do the maths to treat others how we would wish to be treated?

"The greater Good"
I have been a vegetarian my WHOLE life. Nutrition is not a problem here. Lets cut out the middle man. Civilization is developing, populations are growing, global Warming is rising. You can't compare discrimination against animals to discrimination against plants. Yes, animal anatomy is different from human anatomy but it is of similar structure. Animals may not always be able to recognize themselves in a mirror but they are aware it is them experiencing the pain. They can feel it, when they squelch, when they cry, when they fear, when they act on what they observe. They may have more simple emotions but no one can deny that they do have a thought process, regardless of language.

Take my dog, for example. She has PERSONALITY. What PLANT has personality? My dog has taken a liking to a specific tree in my garden that she sits under for shade ever since she was a pup. She has a preference, she can tell if the floor is comfy, she can choose where she sits. She grieves. She has a connection to me, she matches face to someone she loves. When I'm gone a while, when I come back, she RECOGNIZES me!

I hope you are more in touch with the logic behind animal welfare through vegetarianism/Veganism.

Answer #15:

There is a difference between a cow and a tomato.

Answer #16:

Life is sacred to me; I believe I don't have any right to take away a life. I don't have to eat dead animals to live, so I don't. That's about all there is to it.

Plants are just different. I can't relate to a plant. I can relate to an animal. I can't chop a rabbit into 20 pieces and have each one grow into a new rabbit. But it can be done with most plants.

HIndu scripture from thousands of years ago already worked out the killing plants issue. Eating plants is absolutely necessary to live, eating animals is not. We are given a pass on the karma we collect from eating plants. End of debate.
Besides, we have to eat something. If we don't eat plants, what do we eat? Dirt? Rocks?

The plant/infidelity analogy is rather far fetched. I don't get the connection. Sorry, I just don't. If I cheat on my wife, I'll probably end up getting divorced. I can't imagine getting divorced and having to pay alimony because I ate a turnip.

I like being a vegetarian, you don't have to be a vegetarian if you don't want to. Nothing you bring up changes the way I feel about it. It's not a magic puzzle to figure out. Many people are Mormons or Nascar fans; neither of which makes any sense to me, but I don't sit up all night wondering why; I just mind my own business and live my life the way I want.





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