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[Ethics] Why do people condemn Zoophilia on the basis of other animal's inability to consent but those same people kill animals without asking for their consent? Why such inconsistency? (lemmy.world)

submitted 1 day ago by when@lemmy.world to c/asklemmy@lemmy.ml

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[–] Lettuceeatlettuce@lemmy.ml 7 points 16 hours ago* (last edited 15 hours ago) (1 children)

            
              The first argument is just another version of the "it's natural/unnatural, therefore it's right/wrong." Many animals also eat their own young, rape each other, etc. Does that make it acceptable for humans to do it also? Of course not. Some homophobes will point out that homosexual relationships are evolutionarily disadvantageous, ("unnatural") and therefore that means it's wrong for humans to form homosexual relationships. Obviously a ridiculous argument, but it's just the inverse form of the one above.
Is it alright to torture a human infant or a severely developmentally disabled person? What about a person with very advanced Alzheimer's? All three examples have little to no mental self-awareness, certainly less than a dog, pig, dolphin, etc. At what point is self awareness sufficiently low enough to make it morally acceptable to cause deliberate pain to that person for your own enjoyment? Second, there is a growing body of  evidence that a large portion of animals, including many that are currently farmed/fished for consumption, demonstrate sentience beyond simple reflexes. Beyond the scientific studies, everyday experience indicates this in many animals. Dogs, pigs, birds, octopus, can all solve simple puzzles, demonstrate various apparent emotions like curiosity, fear, joy, confusion, anger, etc. Clearly some level of sentience is present, even if it's quite simple.
All essential nutrients humans need can be found in plants. You need to adjust your diet obviously, some nutrients like B12 and Iron are harder to get from a plant-based diet. While others, like Vitamin C and Fiber are easier. The old stereotype that vegetarians/vegans are all malnourished weaklings, is a myth. There are many vegetarian/vegan elite athletes, including Olympic medalists and world record holders, (Alex Morgan, Scott Jurek, Dotsie Bausch, Fiona Oakes, Meagan Duhamel). So at least in the developed world, (where factory farming is the most pervasive,) there is no nutritional need for the general population to eat animals.

[–] jet@hackertalks.com 1 points 12 hours ago (2 children)

All essential nutrients humans need can be found in plants. You need to adjust your diet obviously, some nutrients like B12 and Iron are harder to get from a plant-based diet. While others, like Vitamin C and Fiber are easier.

If you eat 100% plant based you will need to supplement which contradicts the first sentence.

[–] judgy_jackdaw@lemmy.world 2 points 6 hours ago

the distinction between food and supplements is purely regulatory and semantic. at what point does something become a food or a supplement? if i lack vitamin c and i eat an orange, have i supplemented with vitamin c? b12 supplements are made through microbial fermentation, like alcohol or vinegar or lactic acid. if i need iron and i take a pill, i've supplemented with iron, but if need sodium and i eat salt, have i supplemented? starch and sugar are simple chemicals extracted from whole foods, yet they are still considered foods. my point is that there is no true objective distinction between food and supplements, it's just a vague label like "natural/unnatural"

[–] Lettuceeatlettuce@lemmy.ml 6 points 9 hours ago

Reading on this a bit more, it looks like I was off on B12 specifically. Vegetarians can get this from eggs and milk, but full vegans need to either eat plant-based foods that are fortified with B12, or directly take a B12 supplement.

So my first sentence should actually be, "All essential nutrients humans need can be provided by a plant-based diet." That is accurate because it includes fortified plant-based foods, plant-based direct suppliments, and vegetarians.