Is it okay to eat meat? (night thoughts)

I would like to say that I LOVE MEAT. I really like the taste, I love burgers and everything meat related. And basically, I did not really care much about meat, how much I eat it or if I should even eat it. But then several things happened and now I am here wondering whether it is OK to continue such lifestyle. Whether it is OK for me and for the rest of the humankind.

Source

Let me walk you through my thought process. Do not worry I am pretty tired and will not make this too long.. :D

From mouse to chicken?

As I recently started my PhD. in neurobiology I had to attend some courses about animal handling – so I can work with mice and other rodents. And working with animals puts everything into quite some perspective. As I observe these tiny mice I can see them playing around, having complex social structures and hierarchy as well as running away in fear as I approach. They do have feelings, they perceive joy, fear and pain. Unfortunately, part of my job is to sacrifice them from time to time in the name of science. This is done in a most humane way possible to minimize their suffering or stress. However, I kill them nevertheless. This is especially hard when you have your lab animals for longer time and develop certain level o relationship with them – they start to be more like pets. And the more you observe them the more you realize that they are really not that different from us.

After a long day at work you decide that you want to eat something, so you buy a burger. It is especially tasty, you enjoy the meat mixed with the flavour of spice and barbecue sauce. French fries are a must. While chewing this delicious piece of meal you suddenly realize something. I am eating meat from animal that was very much alive the same way as my lab mice. Animal that had feelings, its joys and fears. And now it is dead, and I am chewing its dead body. Am I doing something wrong? Well, some of you may argue that we are adapted to eat meat – even a chimpanzee would not hesitate to eat meat if given the chance. We can effectively digest it, we have these teeth that resemble more carnivores than herbivores. Lions eat meat, wolfs eat meat – it is natural. So why do I feel strange?

Well, predators eat meat, because they cannot just decide that they want to eat something else. They are not conscious the way we are, they do not think about feelings of other animals really and contemplate whether eating other animals is morally good or wrong. But we as humans have this ability to think, to determine what is right and what is wrong. We have our morals and empathy.

Now let me ask you then what is the difference between sacrificing animal mouse and a cow ment for burger in the term of morals?

To me the answer is clear: Purpose.
I do sacrifice lab animals for science – I do it with the resolve that their deaths will help humanity. Is it still murder? Of course – and therefore still morally wrong. But at least there is a justification to a certain extent. Do I like it? Not at all. But at the moment we as humans do not know of better way of conducting experiments than this. Because at least for me humans and humankind are first and other animals second. Is it morally right? I do not know.

However, when you sacrifice animals just to eat them it is only for fun. Yes, you heard right – the purpose of their deaths is to make us happy, to make us feel pleasure and enjoy good piece of meat. Is such purpose good enough to justify murders? I do not think so. Because we are no lions or wolfs, we have the freedom of choice. And as vegetarians and vegans proved – you can pretty much survive without consuming the flesh of other living beings…

Did I stop eating meat? No. As I stated in the beginning I love meat. But. I eat only chicken meat and only once per week – no more than that. And while eating it I can not stop thinking that I am eating flesh of living being that was killed only to make me happy. If you have this mindset it makes you feel like a leech or parasite of sorts (even though parasites do not do what they do voluntarily, so we are even worse). Even though science proved us countless times that animals have feelings and fears, that they feel pain and suffer – we humans continue to just close our eyes and eat – because that damn burger tastes so fu*king good! Right?

However, these are just my thoughts. Give me yours in the comments.

GN
Jepper