Many people believe that animals should be treated humanely, even if they are eventually destined for consumption. Still, a thornier question, which Pollan tackles in this chapter, is whethe
Many people believe that animals should be treated humanely, even if they are eventually destined for consumption. Still, a thornier question, which Pollan tackles in this chapter, is whether it is ethical to eat animals in the first place. His point of departure in looking at this question are the ideas of Peter Singer, a utilitarian philosopher and animal-liberation advocate. Jeremy Bentham (1748-1832), the father of utilitarianism, argued that the moral worth of an action is determined by its contribution to the sum total of happiness or pleasure among all people. Singer extends Bentham’s argument to include other species in his famous treatise on animal rights, Animal Liberation (1975). Since the book’s publication, the concerns of animal rights activists have, to some degree, moved into the cultural mainstream. In the same frame, scientists are discovering that things such “as culture, toolmaking, language, and even … self-consciousness is not … the exclusive property of Homo sapiens.”
Pollan defends the practice of meat-eating with strong arguments, but the most powerful one is the underlying reality of life: all beings survive by consuming other beings or other forms of life, such as plants and fungi. (While plants are not thought of as beings, recent research shows that trees exhibit some form of awarenessfor example, they share nutrients with sick neighbors and alert them about predators.) A corollary to the underlying reality of life is that species live in symbiosis. This means the killing of individuals in a species is often necessary to maintain the health of the species as a whole. Pollan convincingly argues that it is naive and misplaced to impose a philosophy of liberal individualism on nature and that such a stance indicates a disconnect from the natural world. He concludes that there are strong arguments to be made for treating other species humanely, but not for categorically insisting that human beings should stop eating meat altogether.
Question for the Discussion Board:
We know that a diet consisting mostly of plant-based foods is beneficial to human health and the environment. We also know customers expect we source food from sustainable operations that support the environment and humane animal practices. As a hospitality professional, what is one way/or action to support or communicate a menu that promotes a plant-based diet and the humane treatment of animals processed for the food chain?
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