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MikeGinnyGOLD Member
HOP Mad Doctor
13,925 posts
Location: San Francisco, CA, USA


Posted:
So I've now been a vegetarian for almost 3 years. I originally became a vegetarian because I realized I was a meat addict. There are also environmental concerns. Ethical concerns are way down on my list since I find it gets confusing for me to strongly support animal research for medical applications while opposing using animals for food. Especially because I'm not vegan.

But the final decision happened, not coincidentally, on the first day of Gross Anatomy dissection lab. ubblol

So after 3 years of almost total abstinence from meat (I'll eat meat if there is no other feasable option), I think I'm pretty much de-addicted. The idea of eating a large steak is just not at all appetizing to me.

BUUUUT, this vegetarian business is getting very inconvenient. It makes people stress over where to go for dinner, or what to cook for me. Furthermore, it significantly limits what I can order at a restaurant, and I can't stand it when the only vegetarian options on a menu feature zucchini and mushrooms (two of my least favorite foods).

So I'm starting to debate whether to de-classify myself as a vegetarian and just carry on with life eating very little meat. And by "very little" I mean less than one serving of meat a week. Since my initial reasons were for health, I don't see how this small amount of meat (which, when consumed, will preferably be organic) would change my risk factors. And such miniscule meat consumption wouldn't have much environmental impact. Besides, I have an unfortunate tendency towards anemia.

What do you think?

-Mike

Certified Mad Doctor and HoP High Priest of Nutella



A buckuht n a hooze! -Valura


PippinBRONZE Member
member
21 posts
Location: Western Australia


Posted:
I think it doesn't matter how you class yourself as long as you are happy with your eating habits.
My family history is a mix of christianity and buddhism. I remember observing vegetarian days in buddhism. Some people are more strict (note:monks) while others are less so. My cousin is one that will observe all the vegetarian days and if we happen to invite her out on one of those days it's no big deal to change it.
I see this issue of eating meat as a bell-shaped curve not absolute black/white.

smile smile smile

TrillianBRONZE Member
Llamas are larger than frogs.
319 posts
Location: Cincinnati, Ohio, USA


Posted:
Wait...vegetarian days???
I've always wanted to be a vegetarian for moral reasons, but I am already such a picky eater that it would be pretty hard-and it would piss my mom off because she would never be able to find anything for me to eat. (plus I like chicken too much! tongue)

"I know a good deal more than a boiled carrot."
"Fire!" "Where?" "Nowhere, I was just illustrating the misuse of free speech."


PippinBRONZE Member
member
21 posts
Location: Western Australia


Posted:
There are certain days in Buddhism (I'm not sure which) where you spend the whole day eating vegetarian food (no meat for that day). Many fundraisers (not all) that my family participate in for the Buddhist temple have the usual foodstalls but all foods sold are vegetarian foods.

smile smile smile

certifiedloonSILVER Member
newbie
29 posts
Location: currently New Zealand


Posted:
If we weren't supposed to eat animals, why are they made out of meat??

ubblol

I'm sorry!! It was just a silly joke, I respect people's decision whether they do it for moral or health reasons... but I couldn't do without chicken...or beef...or....meat!! I can't help it I'm a carnivore!

LyraSILVER Member
spiny norman
314 posts
Location: Cincinnati,damn it, USA


Posted:
wow, ive just read through this entire thing for the first time, and eveything has pretty much been said, Spanner, your last post was totaly what i wanted to say to Lightning, im sorry but you cnt make up your own standards for vegentarianism,

at the age of 3 i decided not to eat meat anymore, since then ive eaten only minimal amounts of seafood, so im not truely a vegetarian, i dont avoid meat to make a statement its my own choice, Lightning, eat what you want, classifications dont matter that much

if you think that our kiss was all in the lips, come on you got it all wrong man, and if you think that our dance was all in the hips then, oh well, do the twist -The White Stripes


griffinfeminine tiddly pom
505 posts
Location: cambs england


Posted:
ive been a veggie about 5 times before, (roughly annually since bout 9/10, but i always gave in after few weeks) now i only eat fish-the cheaters way out i spoose but cos im picky anyway, not eating fish would probably affect my health as decent veggie stuff is unavailible (espec at skl and college-all aftty meat)
eat wot u want, people brand themselves/others too much anyway

in state of metamorphosis


TwirlyShoryuken!
233 posts
Location: Hexham, Newcastle, England


Posted:
Woo0t I'm veggy for just over a year now. I thought it would be hard, cos I was a total meat head, but it's easy as owt! Mainly because my parents still cook for me mind, the main test is gunna be uni in a few months. But I seriously couldnt go back to meat, I'd get so depressed it would screw my head about so badly.



https://www.betrayed.org.uk/website/index.html

Xopher (aka Mr. Clean)enthusiast
456 posts
Location: Hoboken, New Jersey, USA


Posted:
Let's see, this is 2004...I guess it'll be 26 years this July since I ate meat. Last thing I had a craving for was a Big Mac, about a year in. I took this as a sign that not eating meat was a good thing, at least for me. I'm ovolacto, which means "not vegan," essentially.

From a health standpoint, eating meat once a year on your birthday isn't going to hurt you. More often than that, it starts to depend on your genes and stuff like that...three of my grandparents died of cardiovascular disease. So I'm careful (though I've been eating a lot of cheeeeeeeese lately (that's how I think of it; love the stuff)).

The only really solid ethical arguments I've heard for being a vegetarian have to do with the treatment of the animals and the workers who care for and process them. (Veal: they really torture those animals in the US. Don't eat veal, OK?) Animal rights arguments cut no mustard with me; I've never been able to figure out what's supposed to give a chicken more right to live than a broccoli plant, which compares favorably in mental capacity!

(I'd just like to say that I HATE preachy vegetarians. I reprehend PETA, for example. One person I heard about (from friends who were there) attached herself to a dinner outing after a gathering; when the party arrived at the restaurant, she announced "We want a separate table for the vegetarians so we won't have to watch you people eating dead animals." If I'd been there, I'd have said "Sorry, no separate table for the vegetarians - I'm going to sit with the polite people." People like her embarrass me the way Fred Phelps embarrasses decent, good-hearted Christians.)

There are some aesthetic arguments: You learn a whole lot about food by being a vegetarian, and this improves your cooking. I've invented (or drastically modified) a number of recipes which my omnivore friends happily eat more of than is really good for them, like the pasta-cheddar casserole with the mushrooms (sorry Lightning, I love them) and the sun-dried tomatos, and the Black Hole Brownies (a chubby six-year-old once told me "these are too rich for me"), and the tofu pate (it helps to love garlic). These arguments aren't really compelling by themselves, though.

So why am I (still) a vegetarian? Two reasons: One, at this point I haven't eaten meat in so long that even getting trace amounts by accident is enough to cause serious barfery. Last time it happened was bits of prosciutto masquerading as bits of tomato (also present in the dish). Point of no return was probably 5 years or so. Two, I believe I have a geas about eating meat. I'd love to start eating tuna again, and it probably would be good for me (not sure if it would invoke the barfing problem), but "the otherworld says No."

"If you didn't like something the first time, the cud won't be any good either." --Elsie the Cow, Ruminations


TwirlyShoryuken!
233 posts
Location: Hexham, Newcastle, England


Posted:
Written by:

Animal rights arguments cut no mustard with me; I've never been able to figure out what's supposed to give a chicken more right to live than a broccoli plant, which compares favorably in mental capacity!





Yeah but to be fair, no ethical arguments really stand up to any real mustard cutting; until someone can prove that their moral standards are actually "right" (which will never happen, sorry Jesus) all opinions on rights, human, animal or otherwise, are only opinions anyhow. Basing rights on mental capacity is quite a worrying idea though; using that criteria I think it would be better to eat the severely disabled than many animals.

Metaethically, I don't believe animals have any more right to live than plants, but most peoples views arent based on morals anyway, its just what you do or do not like. Personally I don't like having animals slaughtered in the name of an excited pallet, but other people do - they are no more or less "right" than me, they just think differently. I do think you should cut "preachy" veggys more slack though; just because you don't care about seeing people eat dead animals doesn't mean that other people are overreacting - some people do find the idea actually sickening. I don't because I ate it for years, been desensitised and that, but imagine having to eat at the same table as people who didnt think twice about scoffing dead babies at the dinner table - most people would feel perfectly justified in leaving.

Davy

polytheneveteran
1,359 posts
Location: London/ Surrey


Posted:
Written by: nilid69



- most people would feel perfectly justified in leaving.

Davy




...which vegetarians that do actually find the idea sickening are free to do, rather than make those who aren't feel like deviants for enjoying their dinner.

Okay, vegetarian or vegan restaurants are harder to come by, but they have the choice of going to the extra effort or not. If I knew a friend would be offended, I wouldn't mind going to a vegetarian restaurant with them instead, as the company is usually more important than the food in any case. (Although if that friend was as rude as the girl in that post, I'd be more likely to tell her to shut up and let me enjoy my steak. ubbangel)

The optimist claims that we are living in the best of all possible worlds.
The pessimist fears this is true.

Always make time to play in the snow.


TwirlyShoryuken!
233 posts
Location: Hexham, Newcastle, England


Posted:
Aye I'm not saying that that woman wasn't just being a knob, vegetarians can be lame too, its just that not all preachy veggys are trying to make you feel bad, even if it seems like they are.

Davy

OnionGOLD Member
member
30 posts
Location: Brisbane, Australia


Posted:
im not a vegetarian because i love animals,
im a vegetarin because i hate plants ubblol

no actually, im not a vegetarian, i just like the quote.
I love my meat, and apologies if that offends anyone. But thats how it is.

why is it that so many poisters (one who uses poi) are vegetarian?
is it that whole 'alternative lifestyle' thing?

onewheeldaveGOLD Member
Carpal \'Tunnel
3,252 posts
Location: sheffield, United Kingdom


Posted:
Written by: Xopher


Animal rights arguments cut no mustard with me; I've never been able to figure out what's supposed to give a chicken more right to live than a broccoli plant




Buddist answer: -

sentience

and, for those of you who claim to be unable to tell a sentient object from a non-sentient one, the possesion of eyes, brains and an ability to move are useful indications.

Whilst there is no clear cut dividing line to mark sentience, we all nevertheless do draw that line i.e. we kick footballs but not children.

Accuse me of being dogmatic here, but cows are sentient, and cabbages aren't.

"You can't outrun Death forever.
But you can make the Bastard work for it."

--MAJOR KORGO KORGAR,
"Last of The Lancers"
AFC 32


Educate your self in the Hazards of Fire Breathing STAY SAFE!


onewheeldaveGOLD Member
Carpal \'Tunnel
3,252 posts
Location: sheffield, United Kingdom


Posted:
Concerning what are being called 'preachy' vegetarians-

There are many types of vegetarian, some do it for health reasons, some do it because they believe it is wrong to kill other beings to eat their flesh.

Some feel this very strongly and are unlikely to consider their views to be just an opinion that they have to keep to themselves. Instead it is more like the way that almost everyone, non-veggies included, consider murder, rape, torture etc.

In the same way that many of you would feel obliged to speak out or do something about the abuse of humans, these vegetarians do the same for what they consider to be abuse of animals.

So, for those of you who don't understand why some vegetarians feel unable to sit near people eating meat, and would genuinely like to get an insight into why they feel that way, then imagine how you'd feel if you were at a resteraunt serving the flesh of humans who'd been involuntarily confined and slaughtered.

"You can't outrun Death forever.
But you can make the Bastard work for it."

--MAJOR KORGO KORGAR,
"Last of The Lancers"
AFC 32


Educate your self in the Hazards of Fire Breathing STAY SAFE!


StoneGOLD Member
Stream Entrant
2,829 posts
Location: Melbourne, Australia


Posted:
Sentience OWD sentience? And heres me thinking it had to do with cell walls and stuff. Have u never read The Secret Life of Plants? wink

Also, I'm not sure I follow your example of football (bladder from a dead pig) and a child. Plants and animals are both alive. A dead pig, is a dead pig.

Another reason why vegetarianism is considered important for the future is because it is grossly inefficient to grow grain and vegies to feed animals that in turn become meat, when we can just eat the grain and vegies in the first place.

While I think cannibalism is another topic, the movie Soylent Green has an interesting scenario/solution for the planet when it runs out of food. Soylent Green is not short for soy beans either.

If we as members of the human race practice meditation, we can transcend our fear, despair, and forgetfulness. Meditation is not an escape. It is the courage to look at reality with mindfulness and concentration. Thich Nhat Hanh


onewheeldaveGOLD Member
Carpal \'Tunnel
3,252 posts
Location: sheffield, United Kingdom


Posted:
Written by: Stone




Also, I'm not sure I follow your example of football (bladder from a dead pig) and a child. Plants and animals are both alive. A dead pig, is a dead pig.




A vegetarian eats things that are/were alive (such as plants), but not things that are/were sentient.

Especially from a buddhist perspective where the motivation behind not eating flesh is because animals are considered to be sentient.

"You can't outrun Death forever.
But you can make the Bastard work for it."

--MAJOR KORGO KORGAR,
"Last of The Lancers"
AFC 32


Educate your self in the Hazards of Fire Breathing STAY SAFE!


StoneGOLD Member
Stream Entrant
2,829 posts
Location: Melbourne, Australia


Posted:
OWD, I still don't c the point of your Buddhist example. Your argument for vegetarianism seems to be based on Buddhists being vegetarian.



The Buddha was not a vegetarian. He did not teach his disciples to be vegetarians and even today, there are many good Buddhists who are not vegetarians. The Dalai Lama is not a vegetarian. It is true that when you eat meat, you are indirectly and partially responsible for killing a creature but the same is true when you eat vegetables (from Buddhists web site).



One who eats meat can have a pure heart just as one who does not eat meat can have an impure heart. In the Buddha's teachings, the important thing is the quality of your heart, not the contents of your diet. Many Buddhists take great care never to eat meat buy they are not concerned about being selfish, dishonest, cruel or jealous. They change their diet which is easy to do, while neglecting to change their hearts, which is a difficult thing to do. So whether you are a vegetarian or not, remember that the purification of the mind is the most important thing in Buddhism (from Buddhists web site).





Late edit: OWD, I also think u are confusing vegetarians with animal liberationists.




EDITED_BY: Stone (1087197344)

If we as members of the human race practice meditation, we can transcend our fear, despair, and forgetfulness. Meditation is not an escape. It is the courage to look at reality with mindfulness and concentration. Thich Nhat Hanh


MikeGinnyGOLD Member
HOP Mad Doctor
13,925 posts
Location: San Francisco, CA, USA


Posted:
I agree with everything Xopher just said, especially about how being a vegetarian makes you a better cook. It's because you can't just make a meal by throwing a slab of meat on a grill.

I think I've decided that I'm going to drop vegetarianism completely in the very near future. I'm sick and tired of the restrictions. I've completely de-addicted myself from meat, and since this is primarily for health reasons, eating a grand total of one serving of meat every week to month isn't going to hurt me, especially if I'm choosy about what meat it is (no fast-food burgers for me). I don't really think this is going to change my diet much except I'll probably re-introduce a fair amount of fish because it's so darned good for you.

-Mike

Certified Mad Doctor and HoP High Priest of Nutella



A buckuht n a hooze! -Valura


onewheeldaveGOLD Member
Carpal \'Tunnel
3,252 posts
Location: sheffield, United Kingdom


Posted:
Written by: Stone



OWD, I still don't c the point of your Buddhist example. Your argument for vegetarianism seems to be based on Buddhists being vegetarian.








I'm not arguing for vegetarianism, simply pointing out the following: -



* many vegetarians consider the issue of eating or not meating the flesh of animals to be a moral one, rather than mere personal; choice/opinion



* that a possible criteria for those confused about the distinction between animals and plants is 'sentience'



* sentience is an important buddhist concept, which is why I bruoght buddhism into it



Written by: Stone



there are many good Buddhists who are not vegetarians. The Dalai Lama is not a vegetarian. It is true that when you eat meat, you are indirectly and partially responsible for killing a creature but the same is true when you eat vegetables (from Buddhists web site).



One who eats meat can have a pure heart just as one who does not eat meat can have an impure heart. In the Buddha's teachings, the important thing is the quality of your heart, not the contents of your diet. Many Buddhists take great care never to eat meat buy they are not concerned about being selfish, dishonest, cruel or jealous. They change their diet which is easy to do, while neglecting to change their hearts, which is a difficult thing to do. So whether you are a vegetarian or not, remember that the purification of the mind is the most important thing in Buddhism (from Buddhists web site).








It's true that many buddhists aren't vegetarian, though there is a long standing and very strong tradition of vegetarianism in many schools of buddhism.



The concept of a 'good heart' as the basis for practice is of limited value to those whose heart is not yet pure. It's vague and open to serious misinterpretation.



The Buddha stressed the importance of 'acts', of being aware of how ones acts affect the world and the other beings in it.



Of great importance is minimising causing harm to others, which is why many buddhists don't eat meat.



Some vegetarian buddhists are indeed selfish and cruel- they are human and these are very common qualities in humans. As buddhists, they are hopefully in the process of becoming aware that they are causing harm, and taking the necessary steps to deal it.



Written by: Stone



It is true that when you eat meat, you are indirectly and partially responsible for killing a creature but the same is true when you eat vegetables (from Buddhists web site).








When eating a vegetable, you are indeed responsible for killing a creature, but not a sentient creature.



Incidently, do you have the URL of that site, I'd like to have a look at it.



Written by: Stone





Late edit: OWD, I also think u are confusing vegetarians with animal liberationists.








No, I'm fully aware of the difference between the two, but thanks for your concern smile

"You can't outrun Death forever.
But you can make the Bastard work for it."

--MAJOR KORGO KORGAR,
"Last of The Lancers"
AFC 32


Educate your self in the Hazards of Fire Breathing STAY SAFE!


MikeGinnyGOLD Member
HOP Mad Doctor
13,925 posts
Location: San Francisco, CA, USA


Posted:
There is a religion, and I forget which, where you are only allowed to eat things that do not lead to the destruction of a living system. So you may eat fruits, but no vegetables (remember, a fruit is a seed pod, so corn is technically a fruit, as is a bell pepper, or a tomato; vegetables are where you eat the plant itself, like a carrot or a potato or lettuce). It also allows you to eat honey, milk, and eggs (only unfertilized), but no meat.

Interesting philosophy. As for me, I like onions and garlic too much.

-Mike

Certified Mad Doctor and HoP High Priest of Nutella



A buckuht n a hooze! -Valura


DeepSoulSheepGOLD Member
Carpal \'Tunnel
2,617 posts
Location: Berlin, Ireland


Posted:
As a minor aside I think the star trek definition of 'sentience' is an being that practices self-preservaton redface

I live in a world of infinite possibilities.


Xopher (aka Mr. Clean)enthusiast
456 posts
Location: Hoboken, New Jersey, USA


Posted:
I don't buy your definition of 'sentience', OWD. Nor do I see why it should be a criterion. Nor do I think it's used as a criterion by most vegetarians; instead, it's the "like me" test - people are naturally reluctant to kill and/or eat other humans. Beings that are too much like humans evoke the same response; the average American wouldn't eat a chimpanzee.

Various people draw the line in various places: dogs are too familiar, say, while cattle are not. Or land animals are too close, but fish are fair game. Or the Animal Kingdom is right out, but the Plant and Fungus Kingdoms are in. This latter group are called "vegetarians," but I see no objective reason to call their (our) choice better than any other place to draw this rather arbitrary line.

Humans are heterotrophs. That means we kill to eat. (Yea, even unto the Fruitarians - even if the whole system isn't killed, you're killing THAT piece of living tissue. Otherwise: is it OK to amputate limbs from animals and eat them? They don't have to die, after all...and corn plants are annuals, aren't they?) Anyone who claims to live without killing had better have green skin!

Acknowledge your Killer Self, and you lessen its power over you. Trust me on this.

"If you didn't like something the first time, the cud won't be any good either." --Elsie the Cow, Ruminations


Xopher (aka Mr. Clean)enthusiast
456 posts
Location: Hoboken, New Jersey, USA


Posted:
And the woman I was talking about had attached herself to this group of people, many of whom, she was quite aware, ate meat. There is no excuse for such behavior. If she really is so sensitive to "watching people eat dead animals," she should have gone to a vegetarian restaurant with her poor benighted husband, and left the rest of them alone.

"If you didn't like something the first time, the cud won't be any good either." --Elsie the Cow, Ruminations


DuncGOLD Member
playing the days away
7,263 posts
Location: The Middle lands, United Kingdom


Posted:
heterotroph

Written by:



Any living organism that obtains its energy from organic substances produced by other organisms. All animals and fungi are heterotrophs, and they include herbivores, carnivores, and saprotrophs (those that feed on dead animal and plant material).






Basically it means anything that eats something that has lived regardless of its nature. We are heterotrophs as it is the only means humans (and most other beings on this planet)can survive, I don't really see how that fits into "Thoughts on Vegetarianism" but meh *shrugs*



If we look into other issues such as human evolution (darwinst viewpooint) we are actually by nature herbivours. It's just that due to many reasons humans are higly adaptable and have adapted to eat mean due to circumstance, not due to desire. Upon eating it has given the desire for more. Thus we are now socially interactive omnivours as a whole.



I think it'd be good if you realised that OWD is talking about his thoughts a views, not preaching them or making criterion for you to live by nor offering arguments. It was quite obvious what he meant.

Written by:

the average American wouldn't eat a chimpanzee






This is a social issue, go to other countries and you'll find it. The "average american" also wouldn't eat grubs and insects but they feed more people throughout the rest of the world than there are people alive in America, every year, so it's not really a useful comparison. Of course I'm not saying which is right or wrong, it's familiariy like you say.

Let's relight this forum ubblove


MikeGinnyGOLD Member
HOP Mad Doctor
13,925 posts
Location: San Francisco, CA, USA


Posted:
They eat dog in Korea.

The act of living necessarily means that something else must die. That's why we have immune systems.

Having said that, it is unlikely that plants can feel pain or are self-aware (no, it can never truly be proven, but the lack of neurons is probably a good hint).

-Mike

Certified Mad Doctor and HoP High Priest of Nutella



A buckuht n a hooze! -Valura


Xopher (aka Mr. Clean)enthusiast
456 posts
Location: Hoboken, New Jersey, USA


Posted:
If you examine human teeth, you will quickly note that we are NOT "by nature" herbivores. Canines are for tearing flesh, and that's why we have them. Also we have eyes-in-front, which generally indicates a predator (as opposed to eyes-at-side, which indicates a non-predator and therefore prey animal; side eyes enable the creature to see directly behind it).

Also, even creatures who ARE adapted as herbivores will eat meat in the right circumstances. A friend of mine once observed a squirrel (no canines, eyes at sides) who had been trapped in his building's atrium for several days. It stalked, killed, and ate a pigeon. Squirrels are famous for many things, but efficient predation is not one of them.

And I did know that some cultures will eat apes; that's why I said "most Americans."

"If you didn't like something the first time, the cud won't be any good either." --Elsie the Cow, Ruminations


DuncGOLD Member
playing the days away
7,263 posts
Location: The Middle lands, United Kingdom


Posted:
nope sorry, we'll have to agree to disagree. We developed our canines from smaller similar shaped teeth over many years of evolution from our ape ancestors that are no longer here and the small amount of evidence we have collated for such old remains indicates this and it's the best evidence we have. Cept the bible! ubblol ahem

A nice quote I found (yes from a veggie website) is

Written by:

Aren't We Designed to Eat Meat?

Not at all. Many people say that we are meat eaters because we have sharp teeth. This is like judging a book by its cover. Look inside and you'll find out what is really going on.
Our digestive system resembles that of the herbivores and the frugivores (fruit eaters). It consists of a very long intestine allowing slow digestion of nutrients. By contrast, carnivores have a short digestive tract designed so that meat can quickly pass through the body before it putrefies and becomes toxic. To compensate for this rapid transition, carnivores have a stomach acid concentration ten times greater than that of vegetarian mammals (including humans) to enable them to quickly digest the meat.





Not all plant eaters have side eyes either, many other herbivour mammals do too. They help avoid running into things while escaping and judging distances acurately

Glad you agree on the cirumstance thing tho wink

Let's relight this forum ubblove


Xopher (aka Mr. Clean)enthusiast
456 posts
Location: Hoboken, New Jersey, USA


Posted:
I notice they don't seem to be aware of the existence of omnivores. Carnivores are not like humans, true. OTOH, we don't have multiple stomaches or chew cud either (which means we aren't kosher, another argument against cannibalism). No sane person would claim that humans are carnivores, so that's a straw man.

You can find all sorts of ridiculous things on the Internet, as you must be aware. If putrefaction were a danger, humans not only wouldn't eat meat, we'd die if we tried. Long digestive tract, remember?

And I have (in my pre-veggie days) eaten raw meat in some quantity, with no ill effects.

Note that I said 'generally' when giving the eye placement rule. Citing exceptions in no way refutes my point. However, you haven't actually cited any; I'd actually be pleased if you would, since I can't think of any strictly herbivorous animals with eyes in front.

"If you didn't like something the first time, the cud won't be any good either." --Elsie the Cow, Ruminations


MikeGinnyGOLD Member
HOP Mad Doctor
13,925 posts
Location: San Francisco, CA, USA


Posted:
Written by:

Aren't We Designed to Eat Meat?

Not at all. Many people say that we are meat eaters because we have sharp teeth. This is like judging a book by its cover. Look inside and you'll find out what is really going on.
Our digestive system resembles that of the herbivores and the frugivores (fruit eaters). It consists of a very long intestine allowing slow digestion of nutrients. By contrast, carnivores have a short digestive tract designed so that meat can quickly pass through the body before it putrefies and becomes toxic. To compensate for this rapid transition, carnivores have a stomach acid concentration ten times greater than that of vegetarian mammals (including humans) to enable them to quickly digest the meat.




This is incorrect. The human digestive tract is optimized for an herbivorous diet consisting of COOKED meat and vegetables. You have to remember that H. sapiens did not tame fire. We have evolved a lot since the advent of cooking, and, as such, we have a very unique digestive tract. But it is almost a perfect cross between a non-ruminant herbivore and a carnivore.

Let me get to a few specific points:

1) Humans DO have a dental pattern and skull design reminiscent of carnivores. We have forward-facing eyes and sharp incisors and canines. However, somewhere in evolution, between the increase in size of the skull to accomodate our brains and the development of fire that softened our foods, our jaws shrank and so did our teeth. But we are predators. One only need look at cave drawings to confirm that.

2) Humans lack the enzymes required to produce cobalamin, or Vitamin B-12. This vitamin is only found in animals, and certain yeasts and bacteria. As these vegetarian sources are not universal (for example, they don't exist in the polar climes), the only way for humans to even survive in some regions is to obtain their Vitamin B-12 from animal sources.

3) Carnivores don't have a terribly short digestive tract and meat does not putrefy in the GI tract unless there is a motility problem. I have dissected a shark, a dog, a cat, a frog, a rabbit, and a human and they all have very long small intestines. Furthermore, the pH in the human stomach (when it is digesting) is 2.0-3.0, which is about the same as what it is in a working dog stomach (dogs are slightly more acidic, pH=1.0-2.0, but then again, they didn't ever develop cooking). In fact, herbivores tend to have a very large side-track at the junction of the small and large intestines called the Mesocolon. Humans have a mesocolon, but it's completely non-functional and we call it the appendix.

I'm a big believer in truth and I will find and knock down propaganda wherever I find it, whether I agree with its ends or not. The argument that the human body is not "designed" to eat meat is completely bogus and is based on flat-out incorrect information.

Finally, it is quite common for animals to switch rather rapidly between herbivorous and carnivorous diets in evolution. Consider whale sharks, which feed on plankton.

-Mike

Certified Mad Doctor and HoP High Priest of Nutella



A buckuht n a hooze! -Valura


onewheeldaveGOLD Member
Carpal \'Tunnel
3,252 posts
Location: sheffield, United Kingdom


Posted:
Written by: Xopher


I don't buy your definition of 'sentience', OWD. Nor do I see why it should be a criterion.



That's OK, I was never selling one smile

ie I didn't define 'sentience' simply gave a few factors that may indicate it.

As to why it should be a criterion, it's because sentient beings can feel pain and loss, for those of us who don't wish to inflict unnecessary pain and loss on others it's a very useful criterion.

For those who don't mind inflicting pain and loss on others then I guess whether the thing they are responsible for killing is sentient, is of little importance.

Written by: Xopher

Various people draw the line in various places: dogs are too familiar, say, while cattle are not. Or land animals are too close, but fish are fair game. Or the Animal Kingdom is right out, but the Plant and Fungus Kingdoms are in. This latter group are called "vegetarians," but I see no objective reason to call their (our) choice better than any other place to draw this rather arbitrary line.




This is another reason why some may adopt sentience as a criterion, it makes the line precise and non arbitrary i.e. assuming that I don't want to inflict unnecessary pain and loss on others, and faced with the choice of consuming a plant or an animal, the test is whether they are sentient, which leads me to eat the plant and not the animal.


Written by: Xopher

Otherwise: is it OK to amputate limbs from animals and eat them? They don't have to die, after all...





Assuming again that I don't want to inflict unnecessary pain and loss on others, then no, it would not be ok to amputate limbs from an animal because, while it won't be killing, it does constitute inflicting pain and loss on another.

This is all very simple, and I'm not going to spend time dealing with the numerous apparent exceptions that I'm sure you can come up with.

I'm more for the spirit of the thing, which is summed up by the view of animals as other sentient beings (rather than mindless disposable objects) and the ideal of not inflicting unnecessary pain and loss on others.

"You can't outrun Death forever.
But you can make the Bastard work for it."

--MAJOR KORGO KORGAR,
"Last of The Lancers"
AFC 32


Educate your self in the Hazards of Fire Breathing STAY SAFE!


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