Handout for Omnivores
Hi!!
I am trying to make a fairly concise list of the arguments against veganism, with responses that disprove them. Here is what I have so far. Please feel free to suggest more, or challenge my logic so I can form better arguments. Also, feel free to share this with anybody.
edit// i will be editing this as i go along, thankyou for all your suggestions!
Argument 1: "I eat meat to be healthy"
Response: There is nothing you can get from animals that you can't get from plants. The animals we eat, after all, live on plants. There is some significant evidence that vegans and vegetarians suffer lower rates of heart disease and colon cancer, and studies have shown they live 5-10 years longer than omnivores.
The only vitamin not manufactured by plants is b12, which is created only by a certain bacteria, and can be supplemented very easily.
Argument 2: "Human beings are superior/more intelligent than animals"
Response: .There are many people with a reduced mental and/or physical capacity, such as those with brain damage or young babies, but we don't eat them.
Argument 3: "Human beings are animals, and animals eat meat, so we can too"
Response: Just because someone does something, doesn't mean other people should as well. Some humans kill other humans, that doesn't make it okay. Also, there are many animals that don't eat meat.
Argument 4: "Humans have been eating meat since the prehistoric age"
Response: Tradition is not a reason to do something; in the past, people kept slaves, women weren't allowed to vote, among many other things. As we have become more enlightened as a society, we have realized that these were wrong.
Argument 5: "Animals do not understand morality"
Response: Humans understand morality, and that's what matters. If a human harms another human, we put the perpetrator on trial, not the victim. Also, babies and people with reduced mental capacity do not understand morality, but we recognize them as beings worthy of respect all the same.
I am trying to make a fairly concise list of the arguments against veganism, with responses that disprove them. Here is what I have so far. Please feel free to suggest more, or challenge my logic so I can form better arguments. Also, feel free to share this with anybody.
edit// i will be editing this as i go along, thankyou for all your suggestions!
Argument 1: "I eat meat to be healthy"
Response: There is nothing you can get from animals that you can't get from plants. The animals we eat, after all, live on plants. There is some significant evidence that vegans and vegetarians suffer lower rates of heart disease and colon cancer, and studies have shown they live 5-10 years longer than omnivores.
The only vitamin not manufactured by plants is b12, which is created only by a certain bacteria, and can be supplemented very easily.
Argument 2: "Human beings are superior/more intelligent than animals"
Response: .There are many people with a reduced mental and/or physical capacity, such as those with brain damage or young babies, but we don't eat them.
Argument 3: "Human beings are animals, and animals eat meat, so we can too"
Response: Just because someone does something, doesn't mean other people should as well. Some humans kill other humans, that doesn't make it okay. Also, there are many animals that don't eat meat.
Argument 4: "Humans have been eating meat since the prehistoric age"
Response: Tradition is not a reason to do something; in the past, people kept slaves, women weren't allowed to vote, among many other things. As we have become more enlightened as a society, we have realized that these were wrong.
Argument 5: "Animals do not understand morality"
Response: Humans understand morality, and that's what matters. If a human harms another human, we put the perpetrator on trial, not the victim. Also, babies and people with reduced mental capacity do not understand morality, but we recognize them as beings worthy of respect all the same.