| Matt, I don't think most meat eaters say that killing plants is wrong too to ease their consciences, but rather for argument's sake. I for one, don't think that killing animals is inherently bad--the only thing that makes it feel bad is that we as humans have the logic to put ourselves in their shoes, so to speak. Why doesn't the lion, for example, have feelings of remorse when it mauls an antelope to death (which is arguably a death worse than that in a meat processing facility)? My general idea is that human logic goes in the way of our instinct--if we were to follow our instincts same as all the other animals, we would kill with no remorse.
On the other hand, our unique brand of thought also makes us capable of doing things not directly necessary to our survival. No animal is violent and/or kills if there is no reason, but we humans do. By that, I mean that we should see killing animals in the same light as killing humans: Violence in humans is a much more complicated matter than violence in animals, and it directly relates to our levels of logic.
My bottom line is that eating meat is not inherently wrong--we see it in nature all the time. The matter of animals feeling pain is also irrelevant, because animals feel pain all the time in nature. Now, I must say that I love animals and would never personally kill one (because I have been brought up that way), but on an abstract level where I can talk objectively, I come to the (uncomfortable, to be sure) conclusion that killing animals is not inherently bad.
I would love to see what other people have to say about the opinions I have expressed, so please comment on them. |