I am now a vegetarian. Woo!

[Bashini]

In my opinion, veganism is the next step of the ethical evolution of human beings on this planet.

Isn't that kind of an oxymoron in a way?

You know I wonder if there's groups out there that are working on the ethical treatment of plants and various other forms of life we consider "Too below us" to care about and exploit. I mean there's so many people spouting nonsense about animals when there's a whole another 90% of a planet full of life we're ignoring for a small population with a face.

PLANTS ARE NOT CONSCIOUS BEINGS!!! They cannot experience pain, suffering, or have feelings. They have no nervous systems. They do not choose friendships, play or have mates. They have fewer choices then the average bacterium. And even if we are to suppose that plants have 'feelings' then it would still be wiser to eat plants, since fewer would have to 'suffer death' if people ate solely plants then raised meat.

No it is not an oxymoron. Human beings were originally scavengers, so we ate anything we could find. We eventually progressed from scavengers to farmers, which introduced a number of new food groups. In our modern world, the continued use of animal products is actually holding us back rather then advancing, because the production of animal products consumes so many resources as to make it unsustainable. Also, animal production has created a legal way to continue the ancient practice of slavery through the trade of illegal immigrants who constitute a large number of slaughterhouse workers.

But then that would mean animals have the same rights as humans. Which clearly isn't the case.

Besides if we didn't domesticate animals in the first place then there wouldn't be a human civilization to complain about the domestication of animals as being wrong. At least a civilization to the extent we have it today, just imagine if they never had horses for travel, no oxen to help till fields, no meat to eat to get protein (back before we knew anything about how to substitute meat to get protein).

It was not the domestication of animals, which led to the progression of human civilization. Indeed, many stone age human tribes were capable of surgical techniques that the more 'advanced' humans of the middle ages were incapable of. It was the discovery of the domestication of high carbohydrate, high yield, high protein plants (wheat, barley, rice, soy, lentils, ect.), which catapulted human civilization at the end of the Ice Age. These first fields were actually dug by hand, and it was not for another few thousand years that people had domesticated cattle, which were not at first used for meat.

But all of that history is besides the point, the fact remains that we are on a planet with not enough resources for all the human animals to enjoy animal foods. Humans therefore will have die off (about 2/3 of the populace) to eat well, with sustainable methods or simply live off a plant-based diet.

Also, 'rights' are merely commonly agreed upon rules of conduct to be followed by humans. Humans tragically, need a long list of rules to avoid senseless cruelty. Animals should be granted the 'rights' of any other sentient life form, to be allowed to live uninhibited by human development or greed. Humans scientifically do not need to eat meat to survive or dairy or eggs. Humans do not need 'pets.' Medically speaking the use of lab animals has slowed the progression of medical science, because it gives inaccurate data. Indeed the first antibiotics would have been used a good thirty years before the use of pennisillin was invented, because they tested the substance on guinea pigs, who are fatally allergic to mold.

[leeza]Please do not double post. Use the edit/delete button. ~ Leeza[/leeza]