Moral Basis Of Vegetarianism

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THESIS: There are multiple health-related and moral benefits of going on a plant-based diet when compared to a carnivorous diet. Clement, Grace. “‘Pets or Meat’? Ethics and Domestic Animals.” Journal of Animal Ethics, vol. 1, no. 1, 2011, pp. 46–57. JSTOR, JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/10.5406/janimalethics.1.1.0046. In the article "'Pets or Meat?' Ethics and Domestic Animals," Grace Clement addresses a topic that surfaces in the minds of many: are loveable house pets and the "meat" animals people consume one in the same? If so, why is it morally okay to eat the "meat" animals? Clement describes the similarities between a common household dog and farming pig. She also explains why many people feel more morally attached to companion pets as…show more content…
In short, the article is a detailed analysis of the arguments of vegetarians. Devine writes that there are two distinct groups of vegetarians: the ones who are against the suffering of animals and the ones who are against the killing of animals. The side against animal suffering will object eating any animal product due to the pain cows go through to produce milk and other dairy products; the side that is against the killing of creatures will simply refrain from eating meat. He furthermore goes on to discuss the strategies vegetarians use to support their case. However, Devine chooses to undermine the vegetarian opinions and he instead shows how becoming meatless could negatively impact today's…show more content…
He breaks the article into four main topics: what hurts the most, are animal lovers nature haters, are vegetarians bigots, and whether or not animals have rights? He mentions that many philosophers debate whether the suffering the farm animals go through is even necessary to consider due to the success that comes from the production of animal products. He furthermore writes that although animal lovers and environmentalists do not always see eye-to-eye, they agree that it is against good morals to support the factory farming of animals. He cleverly concludes the article by stating that if one has strong moral values, then they should not support factory-farmed animal
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