Shattering The Meat Myth

“Shattering the Meat Myth” also addresses moral principles, an issue that is the deciding factor for some vegetarians. Using honorable practices in the consumption of animal protein is, indeed, tremendously significant, for most agree they should not be unethically treated. However, Kathy Freston subjectively infers that because the majority of humans would not hunt, harvest, and consume RAW flesh our species is naturally vegetarian (Freston). The error of this statement is assuming that all hunting and harvest leads to the consumption of raw animals (which could be argued as unethical). It is easy to agree that consuming raw flesh after hunting an animal would be considered immoral, however, this is an insult to human’s intelligence, for we …show more content…
Therefore, Mother Nature implies that harvesting other animals that are capable of preforming tasks we are usable is very ethical and essential to our survival as a race. The winner of of an ethics of eating meat article in the New York Times, Jay Bost deduces that there are many reasons eating meat could be deemed unethical, for example, the food feed to animals could be used to feed people of starving nations, unpleasant circumstances surrounding how the animals were nurtured, and, naturally, slaughtering the animal in which is harvested. (Bost). However, he continues to say that, “eating meat raised in specific circumstances is ethical; eating meat raised in other circumstances in unethical. Just as eating vegetables, tofu or grain raised in certain circumstances is ethical and those produced in other ways is unethical.” (Bost). This is an accurate and powerful analogy, showing that if done properly, eating meat can be very ethical. Bost finishes his article by provides three criteria that deem eating animal protein …show more content…
It is true that humans do possess some traits that tend to support a diet of plant based foods–lack of claws and razor-sharp teeth (Freston). However, the attributes discussed by Freston can be related to not only vegetarians but also omnivores. She begins her argument by quoting Dr. T Colin Campbell from Cornell University. He indicates that animals were domesticated approximately 10,00 years ago. (Freston) While this is true, Dr. Campbell relates this statistic to when humans began consuming meat, falling victim to non sequitur. The reality that humans domesticated animals around 10,000 years ago does not imply that this is when we began to consume them. John McArdle, author in the Vegetarian Journal, states, “As far back as it can be traced, clearly the archeological record indicated an omnivorous diet for humans that included meat. Our ancestry is among the hunter/gatherers from the beginning.” (Humans are Omnivores). This disproves Dr. Campbell, for humans were hunting animals and harvesting their flesh long before the domestication. Freston also references Dr. Richard Leakey, a paleontologist who deduces that because humans do not have canines that resemble carnivores (for ripping hide and devouring raw flesh) we must be herbivores. (Freston) Dr. Leakey continues to state, “early humans had diets very much like other great apes [such as gorillas]”

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