Moral Vegetarianism: You are how you eat
Channel: Help Open
Date: 2022-08-21

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What does your diet have to do with morals?
Animal rights confront an unavoidable dilemma in food production: is it morally justified to kill animals for food? Are some animals acceptable to eat while others are not?
In this video, we will explore how various diets inform people’s ethics and worldview.
Veganism
I’ll start the series with veganism, possibly the most well-known moral diet due to its reputation for assuming moral superiority. Veganism avoids the use of animal products not only in diet but also in other products and as a philosophy of life. This lifestyle shares many values with ecocentrism, which I described in my last video as considering that all organisms have intrinsic value and deserve respect.
Vegans maintain that animals are sentient, suffering and experiencing emotions just as humans do, and therefore avoid any products responsible for harming animals. Evaluating the diet from a utilitarian perspective would find that the good from avoiding animal suffering outweighs any human-focused interest in meat and other animal products.
Christian Vegetarianism
Many groups within Christianity restrict their diets as a religious practice.
Some Christian vegetarians avoid eating animal products out of respect for God’s creation as well as animal rights.
Orthodox Christians undertake fasting during Lent and other occasions. Fasting brings them closer to God but also tempers feelings of greed and gluttony. Proponents of the practice experience greater focus on their worship and the world around them when fasting, and a greater appreciation for life when their fast ends.
Jain Vegetarianism
Followers of Jainism, also known as Jains, take animal ethics to its logical extreme, as they apply nonviolence to all living things, even microorganisms. Devout Jains eat similarly to vegans, even exclude the roots of vegetables since insects living underground may be harmed when digging them up. The most dedicated Jains follow a diet of only fruit in an impressive demonstration of moral integrity to avoid killing anything at all.
Vegetarianism’s Global Impact
Meat-focused diets adopted by most of the world carry a real cost to the global economy and environment.
The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations assessed greenhouse gas emissions in livestock supply chains to learn how they can be mitigated. Their findings are displayed in this graphic, which compares the carbon dioxide emissions per kilogram of protein produced by various livestock. Beef and buffalo meat are responsible for the greatest emissions, with poultry products having the smallest environmental impact per kilogram of protein.
A 2006 United Nations initiative found that the livestock industry contributes to a massive scale of pollution and climate change. A study from the National Academy of Sciences found that if everyone switched to a vegan diet, the global economy would save $1.6 trillion in healthcare and environmental costs over the next thirty years.
Thank you very much for your kind attention and have a nice day.