A Vegan lifestyle is better than a meat-eating one

Thank you Con for presenting your arguments. Con stated in the rules at the beginning of the debate that I will not be allowed to argue in round 5. For that reason, this will be my last round to post arguments for this debate.NatureCon says that if I'm going to claim that eating animals is morally wrong, I need to provide a reason for why that is the case. In my first round of arguments of this debate, I said that it's morally wrong because it involves animal exploitation. These animals are forced to live a life full of pain and suffering. Not only that, but they are also killed prematurely at the slaughterhouse. Now, one may ask, why is it wrong to inflict pain on sentient animals? I would say it's wrong because pain is a sensation whose absence is intrinsically desired. Why is it wrong to kill sentient animals prematurely? It's wrong because it deprives them of a valuable future it could have, and thwarts the current desires they have like desires for food, sex, and being outside on a warm day. Con says that our ancestors ate meat for a long time, and that they needed to do so for survival. This is more of a statement of fact rather than an argument. However, it seems like Con is saying that because our ancestors ate meat for a long time, it is therefore morally justified. This line of argument is a fallacy, because it's an appeal to tradition. In the U.S., owning African Americans as slaves used to be a tradition. But does that mean owning other human beings was justified? No, clearly not. In the same way, just because we have been eating animals for a long time does not mean that we should continue to do so. Nutrition It's true that meat provides vitamin B12, and that this nutrient is of extreme importance. However, vegans can obtain vitamin B12 from taking a supplement or eating foods fortified with it. So meat eaters don't actually have an advantage here when it comes to B12. Con may object that if vegans have to supplement or eat foods fortified with this nutrient, this means that a vegan diet is unnatural. However, this argument would be an appeal to nature fallacy. Just because something is natural or unnatural does not mean it's good or bad. Many of the things we do nowadays could be considered unnatural. Driving a car, flying in an airplane, using a cell phone, debating others online, ect. could all be considered unnatural. As registered dietitians Jack Norris and Virginia Messina point out in their book "Vegan for Life.""Today's commercial plant foods and meat are different from the foods available in prehistoric times. We eat hybrids of plants and we feed foods to animals that they would not normally eat. Additionally, the U.S. food supply is routinely fortified with a host of vitamins and minerals. Even those people who strive to eat a more "natural" diet as adults have normally benefited from fortified foods as children. It is quite unlikely that anyone is eating a natural diet in today's world." [1] I'm still not convinced that meat is a superior source of protein. Meat has cholesterol, saturated fat, and no fiber in it. However, a cup of cooked lentils has 18 grams of protein, fiber, no cholesterol, and is under 1 gram of fat. [2]Veganism is Kinder Towards Animals Con says we were designed to be omnivores since the beginning. It's true that human beings are omnivores, however, we are not obligate omnivores. We can be healthy without eating animal products. They are not necessary for good nutrition. Veganism is Better For The Environment Con asked me how animals produce more greenhouse gases than all of transport. To put it simply, the world's 1.5 billion cows and billions of other grazing animals emit dozens of polluting gases, including lots of methane. [3] Methane is produced by farting and belching cows. So, since we raise huge amounts of animals for food each year, and each of them produces polluting gases, it's not hard to see how they would produce more than transport. In sum, a lot of animals, a lot of polluting gases, equals serious problems for the environment. Conclusion Overall, I think I have shown how a vegan lifestyle is better than a meat eating one. It's better for the animals, will provide more food for hungry people, and is better for the environment. This would all be true even from the perspective of the individual instead of society. Finally, thank you Con for a enjoyable debate. Sources: Vegan for Lifehttp://www.nizkor.org...http://www.hsph.harvard.edu...http://animals.howstuffworks.com...