To Meat or Not to Eat: The Ethics of a Carnivorous Diet Anteneh 0

To Meat or Not to Eat: The Ethics of a Carnivorous Diet

Jonathan Anteneh

York Preparatory Academy

Scholars Seminar II

Felicia Butler

February 15th, 2023

To Meat or Not to Eat: The Ethics of a Carnivorous Diet Anteneh 1

Introduction

Over 2 million years ago, humans began to incorporate meat into their diets

(Gibbons,2013). Since then meat has become an integral part of meals for humans all across the

world. In America, the national average for meat consumed per year is 274 pounds per person.

(Christen,2021) As the consumption of meat increases, meat companies have begun a cycle of

mass production that contributes to a number of unethical effects in the meat industry. This

proposes the question of whether it is ethical or not to eat meat. On one hand, eating meat is a

common and widely accepted practice in many cultures around the world. On the other hand,

there are numerous arguments against the consumption of meat, ranging from concerns about

animal welfare to environmental sustainability. Meat has become a central and almost

unavoidable part of our society causing many to wonder about the ethics of a carnivorous diet.

No matter what position a person is in life, there are always situations that require ethics and

reason to help them formulate a decision. For all of time, people such as Aristotle, Immanuel

Kant, Jeremy Bentham, and John Stuart Mill have helped create many different resolutions to

these dilemmas with philosophy schools such as Deontology, Utilitarianism, Existentialism, and

many more. Understanding what each philosophy school is and how it affects people in society

can help people understand how to act in ethical dilemmas.

Deontology

Deontology is the school of philosophy that studies duties or obligations. This school of

philosophy was brought to prominence by German Philosopher Immanuel Kant. Kant believed

that morality is based on reason and that all moral principles should be universal and applicable
To Meat or Not to Eat: The Ethics of a Carnivorous Diet Anteneh 2

to all individuals. Kant followed what he called the categorical imperative principle which stated

“Act only according to that maxim which you can at the same time, will that it should be become

a universal law without contradiction.” In the words of Clemson's Philosophy professor Dr. Todd

May “What Kant is interested in, is not what is actually going to happen. What Kant is interested

in is, what would the world be like if everybody did it.”(May, 2019) For example, if Person A

works at a car dealership selling cars, and an elderly individual comes to buy a car with faulty

brakes. The elderly individual would not notice the faulty brakes if Person A did not let them

know. The question is do you let the individual know that the brakes are faulty? But the question

Person A has to ask himself is, “Would I like to live in a world in which people told potential

buyers about faulty breakers or would I like to live in a world in which people didn’t tell people

about faulty brakes? To put Deontology in the perspective of my question about the ethics of

meat, it does not abhor the consumption of meat, but does look down upon the way meat is

collected. The subsection of Deontology, Kantism on the other hand states that animals have no

moral standing, therefore, they are able to be killed in bulk; although this specific thought is

universally rejected by all philosophers (Korsgaard, 2020). Modern-day Deontologist and

professor of Philosophy at North Carolina State University, Tom Rogan was a large advocate for

animal rights. He believed that consuming and purchasing meat was not unethical, yet the way

the meat was collected was unethical. He stated “If animals have rights at all, it is the factory

farmer and slaughterer who violate them. I might put the point crudely. An animal is either dead

or alive. If dead, it hasn’t any rights, so one’s purchase does not violate its rights. If alive, the

animal may be mistreated, but by the farmer, not the ordinary consumer. So a purchase does not

violate the rights of the animal purchased.”(Hereth, 2016) While the answer can vary among a

multitude of deontologists, the large majority of them believe that eating meat is buying into
To Meat or Not to Eat: The Ethics of a Carnivorous Diet Anteneh 3

morally corrupt companies that slaughter and kill animals and therefore morally unethical.

Deontologists believe that buying into large morally corrupt companies is wrong because of the

way the animals are treated. In his book Fast Food Nation, well-known investigative journalist,

Eric Schlosser discusses his time spent inside a meat packing factory. “Cattle walk down a

narrow chute and pause in front of him, blocked by a gate, and then he shoots them in the head

with a captive bolt stunner, a compressed­air gun attached to the ceiling by a long hose­which

fires a steel bolt that knocks the cattle unconscious. The animals keep strolling up, oblivious to

what comes next, and he stands over them and shoots.” Throughout Fast Food Nation, Schlosser

describes how terrible the conditions were for the animals, discussing how they were sedated,

killed, and packed for human consumption.

Utilitarianism

The philosophical school of thought, Utilitarianism, is an ethical theory that right and

wrong are determined by the consequences of actions rather than the action itself. Michael Schur,

the author of the novel How to be Perfect describes it as “A school of ethical philosophy…

which cares only about the results or consequences of our actions.”(Schur, 2023) This school of

thought was brought to prominence by Utilitarianism philosophers Jeramy Bentham and John

Stuart Mill and was continued to be guided by Peter Singer. In simpler terms, Utilitarianism is

the idea of maximizing happiness for the greater good in the greatest amount. This school of

thought is used by many to justify things such as wars and extreme military force (University of

Texas, 2023). The theory of utilitarianism considers the consequences of an action as the most

important factor in determining its moral worth. For example, if a pharmaceutical company

releases a new drug that can help millions around the world, but has side effects that can affect

mere thousands, a strict utilitarian would choose to keep the drug in commission because the sale
To Meat or Not to Eat: The Ethics of a Carnivorous Diet Anteneh 4

of the drug denotes a more positive outcome than negative. The iconic moral dilemma that

Utilitarianism is most commonly used in is The Trolley Problem. “The first trolley scenario was

proposed by Philippa Foot, and is about a trolley that is going down the tracks, and is set on

course to run down five people who are tied to the tracks. The driver of the trolley has the option

to divert the trolley onto another track in which only one person is tied. Foot wondered whether

or not the driver should divert the trolley.”(Andrade, 2019) While Utilitarianism might seem

simple there are many flaws to this school of thought. Becoming a strict Utilitarian can lead to a

person becoming a “happiness pump” putting all needs of others over their own. Another major

flaw of this school of thought is that there is no clear definition of good or bad. The words

positive and negative to many are subjective. What may be positive to one, may be negative to

another. To put Utilitarianism in perspective of my question about the ethics of meat eating,

utilitarians believe that animals and animal interests are as important as humans and human

interests. Because of this belief most strict utilitarians practice veganism. They believe that by

supporting the meat industry, you are denoting a more negative outcome and believe that sticking

to a vegan diet leads to a more positive outcome for everyone. Utilitarians believe that while the

consumption of meat could be ethical, the consequences of eating meat outweigh the positives.

For example, buying into enormous meat-packing companies such as Tyson and Sysco allow for

expansions which require these large companies to build new factories. During the construction

of these factories, millions of acres of forest are plowed to create mono-crop fields dedicated to

feeding livestock. The conversion of these forests to mono-crop fields can release carbon

pollution, a large addition to climate change. These fields are usually treated with harmful

chemicals that can hurt the animals and the people eating them. Due to building flaws, many

open lagoons used to store animal feces overflow and break, allowing for the manure to
To Meat or Not to Eat: The Ethics of a Carnivorous Diet Anteneh 5

decompose in the open. This causes methane and other harmful gasses to be exposed to the air,

largely contributing to climate change (Clean Water Action, 2023).

Beliefs

When answering my own question, is the consumption of meat ethical? I very quickly

came to the realization eating meat has become a center point in a multitude of cultures all

around the world. Not eating meat can result in a large number of health problems such as

deficiencies in Vitamin B, Creatine, and Omega-3 fatty acids (Iguacel, 2021). But with more

thought on the subject, I believed that while yes eating meat is ethical, the way we get that meat

is extremely unethical. Over the last few decades, the meat industry has grown substantially, with

global demand for meat growing larger and larger by the day. Because of this industry boom, the

meat industry started to exploit their animals for faster production. In larger meat processing

farms animals are privy to intensive farm methods. These methods can include keeping a large

number of animals in one crowded caged-off area. Because of these conditions, animals are more

likely to contract illness and harmful injuries. In addition to this many animals are subjected to

extremely painful and invasive procedures without regard to the animal's well-being such as

castration, tail docking, or dehorning without pain relief. Another significant issue in the meat

processing industry is inhumane slaughter methods. (Rowe, 2011) Many animals are slayed

using stressful and unethical methods such as electric shock, gassing of the animals, and throat

cutting. In most cases animals are not sedated before they are slayed, meaning they are conscious

and aware of their situations. Another large controversy in the meatpacking industry is the

treatment of their workers. Workers are forced to work in unfair conditions such as immense heat

and crowded spaces. If we as a society can find cleaner and more ethical ways to source our meat

then the overall consumption of meat will be ethical. Because eating meat has become so central
To Meat or Not to Eat: The Ethics of a Carnivorous Diet Anteneh 6

to the lives of so many around the world it is almost impossible to avoid it. In my opinion, the

consumption of meat is ethical, all we have to do is find cleaner and more sustainable ways to

farm it.

Conclusion

To summarize the information stated, the consumption of meat in itself is not unethical

and is widely practiced throughout diets. But the plethora of negative effects such as the unfair

treatment of animals, the environmental effects, and health deficiencies outway the positives. To

allow for the consumption of meat to be completely unethical it is imperative that the meat

industry is changed to ensure the safety of people, animals, and the environment.
To Meat or Not to Eat: The Ethics of a Carnivorous Diet Anteneh 7

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