Moral Status of Animals and Vegetarianism

Food is a commodity we need for the sustenance of life. There are two main diet categories to choose from. We either take an exclusively plant-based diet(vegetarianism) or incorporate animal products into our diet.  We adopt either of the diets based on different reasons. These reasons include the availability of the food, the price, health reasons, and even moral considerations. However, questions arise concerning the use of animals for food. For instance, the moral status of animals and the process of transforming them into food is questionable.

One of the reasons for adopting a vegetarian diet is ethical considerations on animal treatment (Hooley and Nobis 6). According to Hooley and Nobis, “animals have a cognitive, emotional and social lives” (8). Based on the way they behave; they have what they like and dislike. When raising animals on a large scale, there is not sufficient consideration to this. The animals are all crowded together without the privilege of making decisions on what they like or dislike. Individuals who have a high sense of the moral status of animals will therefore opt to stay vegetarian.

Secondly, there are environmental concerns. “An adequate environmental ethic needs to recognize the moral standing of all living things, sentient and nonsentient” (Humphreys 204). The hunting of animals for use as food on a large scale is not sustainable. It leads to the extinction of various species.

Another link is on the type of feeds given to the animals. According to Humphreys,” animals’ feed may contain genetically modified cereals or even meat protein” (208). The feeding of animal proteins to animals that are by nature herbivorous is not morally justifiable.

In conclusion, there are justifiable reasons for the moral status of animals. These reasons are among the reasons for considering an exclusively plant-based diet by vegetarians.

Works Cited

Hooley, Dan, and Nobis Nathan. A moral argument for veganism. WBI Studies Repository, 2016. https://www.wellbeingintlstudiesrepository.org/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1005&context=acwp_aafhh. Accessed 11 March. 2021.

Humphreys, Rebekah. A Critical Examination of the Moral Status of Animals, with Particular Reference to the Practices of Factory Farming and Animal Experimentation. ProQuest, 2013. https://core.ac.uk/download/pdf/19396877.pdf. Accessed 11 March. 2021.

Order your Copy Today