I have been meat-free for almost three years and a vegan for almost a year. I am healthier then I have ever been in my life.

In my opinion, veganism is the next step of the ethical evolution of human beings on this planet. It is plain and simple that the domestication of animals is just as morally apprehensible as slavery, rape, sexism, genocide and racism. Animal agriculture is polluting the planet, contributing to the hunger crisis, and encourages a growing disparage between the upper and lower classes.

Just another biological note, plants do not have nerve endings or a central nervous system, and therefore lack any ability to think or feel pain. Animals on the other hand possess nerve endings, a central nervous system, and the ability to 'will.'

As for the sentience argument, it is a slippery slope. If it is all right to enslave, torture, and treat another being as property, because we can dominate it, this can easily justify many atrocities we have committed between human beings. Infanticide is considered morally abhorrent in most cultures, yet a baby is not sentient, it is easy to dominate, and it is a parasite. Most consider the notion of 'putting to sleep' a person of low intelligence wrong, but this action would be no different then the slaughter of the common pig or even chicken.

Please don't double post. - Azar