The only reason the author seems to give for not eating animals is some vague sentiment of its inherent cruelty, whatever he means by that word (harming things with eyes? Does he eat potatoes?). Is it somehow less cruel to raise crops from the ground, reap their delicious parts, and then slaughter them wholesale by plowing them back into the ground?

To suggest that animals are superior to plants is speciesist. At least animals can defend themselves, or at least make attempts to run away or escape. Plants are essentially defenseless, and everyone knows that harming defenseless creatures is the real cruelty. That's why I refuse to eat anything that didn't have at least a plausible chance of fighting back or running/flying away.

You're killing me! Ahahahahaa! I've chatted with Vegans on the same topic. "Yeah but you're biting into something that is alive! You're eating this defenseless living thing while it's alive!" "No no no! Not the same thing!" True! We at least kill the beast before we roast it! You sick vegans scortch it ALIVE!!!!

Mustafa explained it quite well in "The Lion King" and the "Circle of Life".

You think this is funny?

Of course plants don't suffer. They don't have a capacity for this. You're making ignorant jokes as literally billions of animals are enslaved in abhorrent conditions to die for a meal when there are plenty of other options.

But there is a great deal of cruelty to all of the insects, rabbits, snakes, and whatnot, who were thriving quite nicely until the day the farmer came along and crushed them all and destroyed their homes, in order to plant some broccoli for you, you vegetarians, you....

So, stop eating.

jamestownjames:

Of course plants don't suffer. They don't have a capacity for this.

And by "capacity to suffer" I suppose you mean the central nervous system. Yes, I've read Animal Liberation by the "ethicist" Peter Singer. Murdering creatures is okay if they don't have a central nervous system, right? Can I kill you if I first rip out your spine? Your "suffer" criterion is just a subjectivized word for pain, which is merely a signal sent to the brain to warn of injury or impending doom. The purpose of the signal is obvious: to give the creature information it can use to act against the threat. To suppose plants do not have similar mechanisms is ignorance. Peter Singer's argument can be reduced to a feeble evasion of nihilism.

You all laugh now but the path laid out by giving animals "dignity" may extend to plants avter all they are alive.

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Then....WHAT ARE WE SUPPOSED TO EAT. Honestly!

Come on you make it sound as if vegetarians or vegans actually care about animal rights. They don't. If they did care about animals and all living beings that can feel pain they would spend as much effort saving an animal being used for food as an animal less cute.

For instance meat is cheaper than most protein rich alternatives. So why not kill one cow and use the money you saved to bring happiness to thousands of earthworms (they too feel pain).

Vegetarians simply have some psychological disorder that makes them care for cute animals the same way normal people care for pets. It is not a moral argument merely a genetic defect (in my opinion).

Vegetarians simply have some psychological disorder that makes them care for cute animals the same way normal people care for pets.

Do you hear yourself? You're the one making a distinction between cute animals suitable for pets, and less cute animals suitable for food.

Sigh. I'll probably regret asking this, but how exactly would killing one cow bring happiness to thousands of earthworms?

To Ghost:

If you are as you say it is, that eating plants is the real cruelty, then you must surly endure a torturous moral dilemma everytime you are hungary. Then you go to the grocery story and you step into what must be a holding house for carcuses--the smell of decomposing plant flesh strongly deters your appetite. But eat you must or starve to death--like the salmon that eat their young for provisions! Good thing the meat section is usually located elsewhere, lest you faint upon entering such a ghastly compound. And who are these animal- and plant-flesh eating zombies who aimlessly wander the compound picking at whim these dead creatures for consumption, indeed enjoyment? Eggplant Parmigiano...Oh my God! Is there not another way? But the hungar pangs are ever more severe. So eat you must of these slaughtered plants and animals lest you parish and return to the ground for the worms and plants to eat of your remains.

ruzylacm:

To Ghost:

If you are as you say it is, that eating plants is the real cruelty, then you must surly endure a torturous moral dilemma everytime you are hungary. Then you go to the grocery story and you step into what must be a holding house for carcuses...

I only eat mushrooms, which I find in the forest.

Ghost, I do like mushrooms, but would find it exceedlingly boring to subsist soley on them (unless of course they included the phychedelic type).