For the past week or so I've been debating a big-ish cheese in the skeptical community on the ethical basis for a vegan lifestyle. While he is kind of an ass, he's intellectually honest and a very, very experienced debater...which is why I am having trouble and would like to crowdsource a few responses.
The major reason I went vegan is because I did not see any compelling reason to consume animal products in the face of the overwhelming suffering their production inevitably causes. He had several responses to this and other similar arguments I made
1) In no other area do we go about justifying every freedom or right we have; rather, we start with unlimited freedom and we have to justify the restrictions we place on it (iow, the omnivore does not have to justify eating meat, the vegan must make a compelling case for why he does not have that right--we have the burden of proof).
2) Humans do not have the same moral obligations to animals that they have to other humans. Since animals do not have moral obligations to us, we do not have moral obligations towards them; therefore he is not compelled to restrict his consumption of animal products because he is not morally obligated to consider the effect their production has on animals. (This is an argument I've never come across before. The only response I can think of right now "why the hell not, jerk?". I believe this is the basis for all his arguments; please help me out with this one in particular!).
3) I made the argument that, since we do not have to consume animal products for sustenance (we can get the nutrients elsewhere, and are better for it), we continue to consume them for pleasure (because they taste good) and convenience (they're everywhere!). I argued that this was akin to killing animals for sexual pleasure, which the vast majority of people would find morally repulsive.
He responded that, while it would be morally virtuous of me not to kill them, I was not morally obligated to, By implication, I think, he has ceded that a vegan lifestyle has a legitimate moral basis--but maintained that it is not morally compelling, for reason #2.
Intuitively, I'm convinced that a vegan lifestyle is morally compelling--its just a matter of how to articulate that conviction into a compelling argument. Any help from people who have heard these arguments, or could point me towards helpful resources, is much appreciated!
Thanks,
Llyn
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