Vegetarianism

I have a question for vegetarians out there. I personally am not a vegetarian although I can completely understand doing it for health reasons. My body is starting to reject meat, especially red meat so I'm sure it's only a matter of time...

Anyway... many people choose not to eat meat because of the idea that killing an animal for food is wrong. My question is this. Why is killing a plant for food any different? And why is one justificable and one not?

Just a question, with nothing but respect to meat eaters and non meat eaters.

you disrespectful pig

I'll wait to weigh in till a vegan or vegan light posts their grand illuminations on the subject.

LOL Thanks man!

Okey dokey.

Well, I'm a vegetarian, so I think I better take the first step in the discussion.

I think killing things is very wrong, and pain in any form is wrong also.

Its proven that animals can feel pain, as they have brains and nervous systems just like us that can sense pain or discomfort.

Plants, however, obviously cannot, they have no senses or functions or anything, really. Their only function is to grow.

So, thats why I only eat vegetarian foods, suppliments, fruit, etc.

But, there are some people who don't even eat vegetables because of the reason you bring up, they only eat synthetically produced vitamins, calories and minerals to sustain their lives, an small amounts of vegetables to stop them from collapsing.

Then of course there are vegans, pro-vegans (the type I mentioned above), fish-itarians (vegetarians who eat fish but no other meat), bla-de-bla-de-bla.

and plus I really cant stand the thought of eating something that was once in a field, rolling in dung, or mud, or whatever. Yeugh.

Nicely said Decius.

I pretty much think the same

Although I don't think I could ever eat meat though, even if I was staggeringly busy.

Decius, I think that evolution and degrees of pain, if true would only be applicable to emotional pain, because it is so obvious that animals feel pain, they react not one bit differently than we do, getting hurt hurts.

As for the emotional aspect, I have little stock in emotions truly being something meaningful, but in respect to what we know to be society, social interaction, emotion based relationships, love, these concepts in conjunction with the notion of an advanced species could easily make sense. The other thing about it though, I don't feel confident in making any ruling on what types, if any, of emotions animals posess. You see, when people say animals have emotions, others will tell them either that that is false because the bible says so or because of, come to think of it, what exactly is sciences current stance on the issue, I know of the tendency to place human characteristics on everything including inanimate objects, but that still doesn't say anything clear about other living creatures, sure most acts seen as emotional output of animals seems different but especially in pets we see the greatest potential evidence of emotion in animals, and thats just in the concept of such revered emotions as love. Fear, instinct, duty, caring, depression, lonliness, excitement, shame, etc. are all things I've seen good representations of in the animal kingdom, and at the moment I don't remember what the scientificly debatable evidence against the notion there is?

Do you guys think animals have emotions?

I have a question for the vegetarians here. My daughter refuses to eat meat and always has, I think for her it's the texture of it that she doesn't like. What kind of foods can I give her to make sure that she gets all the vitamins and minerals that she needs? She eats most veggies and fruits. I'm more worried about protein.

Em

As far as animals having emotions... I have a hard time believing that for the most part. Pets, because they are extensions of humans perhaps imitate us more than anything. But I think in the wild we as humans might view something an animal is doing and interpret it as an emotion because that is what we know as our reality. I could be wrong but that's just how I see it.

Em, soy is an excellent source of protein. Does she shy away from dairy as well. There are many alternative soy products. Tofu is a common substitute for meat. I've had it a few times and it just takes on the flavour of whatever it's being cooked with. I'm sure the vegetarians out there will have more ideas for you. Vitamin supplements might be something else to consider.

I like all animals...






With good gravey

thought, I figure that will just be a common misconception that will eventually go away, people are more prone to believe it because then they would really have to look at how we treat animals, they already don't aknowledge how much pain we put them through.

Maybe aliens will come and teach us a lesson, then maybe people will figure some things out.

What does humans are probably the most evolved mean

Some other sources of non-meat proteins are found in nuts and, even for those who do eat meat, wheat germ is probably the greatest source of nutrients you can find.

LOL leftwood.

That's why I think it can be more honourable to hunt a deer than to buy a steak off the shelf at the grocery store. Here's the case where that is true. If we hunt the deer we are aware of what it took to do it. We are at least somewhat aware of how it lived, what it may have to go through to survive. When we buy a steak the potential is there to be completely ignorant of the life of the cow.

Ya, who can say where the cows go till the cows some home.

No, she loves dairy products. She won't touch anything that even remotely looks like meat. Has a hell of an attitude toward meat at 5...lol.

Em

I am not a vegetarian, partly because I believe that all creatures on this earth have a purpose in life, and some animals purpose is to provide food for other animals, otherwise the circle of life would cease to work the way it should.

Does anyone else agree?

I recognize that some people are outrageously cruel and unfair to animals, and I believe they are corrupt and mislead. They are inhumanely taking atvantage of their dominion over those animals.

Ariel