Overpopulation is less and less of a worry at the rate we're going. Unless we perfect immortality... but if we do, we'll solve a bunch of other shit too
Will humanity ever give up eating meat? When?
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Mango The Magician
Banned
It's my understanding that no one really tried to shame anyone into giving up meat. The OP said something to the effect of meat being wrong as means of framing his/her question, and the thread exploded.
Could you imagine an advanced, space-traveling civilization still producing meat on an global and inhumane scale like we do?
I can't. I still eat meat (not a lot though). Vegetarians definitely are on the moral highground.
Killing billions of animals so that we can sustain our meat industry is cruel.
They pretty much taste salty, nothing else, kind of like crisps.
They'd be a good step forward to a more humane and sustainable foodculture.
I can't. I still eat meat (not a lot though). Vegetarians definitely are on the moral highground.
Killing billions of animals so that we can sustain our meat industry is cruel.
People say yuck, but have you ever tried fried grasshoppers?
They pretty much taste salty, nothing else, kind of like crisps.
They'd be a good step forward to a more humane and sustainable foodculture.
King Cobra
Banned
I never will, I love my medium rare steaks.
We already face issues at 7 billion people, and even if the predictions of lowered birth rates are accurate that still means we could have 9-11 billion on the planet come 2050. That's still a massive issue that's not going away.
The "because we need nutrition" argument will never stop coming. I personally believe it to be a whole load of shit because I don't find any problems in my entire family and they are vegetarian. Protein is the only thing that is not found commonly in vegetarian food and you can get them from diary products and all sorts of beans and spinach...so that argument falls apart too.
Untrue. India has had many civilizations that were vegetarian. Going as far back as 300BC.
To date there are various communities that still only eat vegetarian food. There is a reason why India has the largest population of vegetarians (apart from the fact that it's the 2nd most populous country)
Untrue. India has had many civilizations that were vegetarian. Going as far back as 300BC.
To date there are various communities that still only eat vegetarian food. There is a reason why India has the largest population of vegetarians (apart from the fact that it's the 2nd most populous country)
It's impossible for some low income rural communities to support vegetarianism properly.
You could replicate getting nutrients from multivitamins and cut most vegetables out, does that suddenly make a strong case for a carnivorous diet, or is it a whole load of shit?
Wouldn't growing their own food be cheaper than buying meat? And what about the lack of nutrition you get from a solely meat based diet? If the rural population in a third world country like India can support vegetarianism then why can't it work in the west? (I might be wrong about some things, so please explain if you can)
So why don't people who complain about lack of nutrition in vegetarian food do that ?
Basically I'm asking what are you getting at here?
I'm saying that you can get all sorts of nutrition from vegetarian food while you will lack some if you are on a purely meat based diet...which is why I think it's a whole load of shit. And I firmly believe so because I never took tablets and never tasted meat until 2 years ago and I turned out fine...same for my family.
Let's say they manage to create lab grown meat that is ready to mass-produce.
I imagine it would taste different, since as far as I'm aware the taste of meat is influenced by environmental factors, lifestyle of the the animal, etc. etc.
Would it be possible, given time, for scientists to replicate the taste we are used to?
I imagine it would taste different, since as far as I'm aware the taste of meat is influenced by environmental factors, lifestyle of the the animal, etc. etc.
Would it be possible, given time, for scientists to replicate the taste we are used to?
Well, it would be going away if that trend continues, by 2100 it's estimated our population would be back to 6billion.
Also, while 9-11billion is a lot, it's manageable. It's one of those issues that doesn't have any real solution other than developing a country, and we're doing that... so... Well, nothing else we can do.
Mango The Magician
Banned
While I'm not 100% positive, I believe we've already grown lab meat, and have had taste tests on it which resulted in it being similar enough that it was enjoyable or something along those lines.
Here:
http://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-23576143
For reference, I grew up in rural New Mexico:
There isn't enough water to support anything but a small garden without government farm subsidies. Since land is plentiful however, there are many grazing meat cattle and pig which makes the price of meat in places like New Mexico and Texas extremely low. So you have a village of 700 people without a grocery store for sometimes 50 miles in any direction with not enough access to water and poor soil but surrounded by cattle.
It's simply impossible. Of course, if our entire country were to change it's economic system to focus on vegetarianism then it could probably be easier, but that's beside the current point which is that for many people in the rural southwest it's not a moral argument because there's no alternative.
Get started!
Schweinehund
Member
I doubt it, and I don't think there's anything wrong with it when our whole planet's ecosystem is based around a food chain. There are some things we shouldn't eat though, monkeys, dolphins and anything of reasonable intelligence. Cows, insects/arachnids, chickens and pork (thought pigs are pretty smart and its a bit of a stretch) should be sufficient.
I'm with you OP. I love meat and I can't see myself stopping and at the same time I think it's wrong. Animals feel, they have feelings and form friendships and all that, just like us, they are alive. But it is so delicious. When lab grown meat becomes a thing and it's just as good as the real thing in every aspect, I will switch to that. In some parts of the world they eat dog meat. I would never imagine eating my dog, she loves me and is smart. That can apply to all other animals, or most of them at least. It's like if an animal, for example lions, were the dominant life form on this planet and they had humans in farms to kill and consume. That's no way to live, be born in a farm and watch as your friends and family get killed for no reason at all and all you can do is wait until it's your turn. I guess I'm a hypocrite but I can't help it, meat is so good.
rokkerkory
Member
How can you refuse these??? I must say also that I only eat sustainable and mostly organic forms of meat. I agree with eating meat as long as we can sustain it (ie cows, chicken, some seafood).
So deep, much thought
rokkerkory
Member
Why would they want to though? They like the taste after all.
GeordieMark
Member
Nobody who likes the taste is likely to stop if they don't have an issue on an ethical level.
And why would they?
I'm one of those people and won't even consider stopping eating meat because I see no value in denying myself something that I enjoy, and is perfectly natural. There is absolutely no point in me trying to stop.
n00bsauce87
Member
Until humans are created to be purely herbivores, we shall eat meat. Why aren't you holding other omnivores to this standard? I think your anti-human-eats-flesh bias is showing and should put a stop to it.
Hypemaster
Member
No.
Mango The Magician
Banned
All the OP did was ask a question about the likelihood of a hypothetical future. 0_o
Hypemaster
Member
Yum yum
Question: why is India traditionally vegetarian?
So? Then murder and rape should be legal too, because animals do it as well and we are biologically fit for it. I don't really like the "natural/biological" reason, a couple years ago it was used by slaveholders as well...
Just because we came from animals doesn't mean we should look to them as an example for our behavior. Of course we aren't divine creatures, but in my opinion our greatness comes from differences to animals, not from our similarities to them.
SneakyStephan
Banned
Ethics are highly subjective
You see it as wrong, others do not
I see people driving big cars/trucks as wrong, bitcoin miners using tens of thousands of kw/h a year to leech off some imaginary economy as wrong
Are you willing to give up your computer, airconditioning, car etc? Because you don't need any of those
lol wow the guy above comparing eating meat with rape and murder
You see it as wrong, others do not
I see people driving big cars/trucks as wrong, bitcoin miners using tens of thousands of kw/h a year to leech off some imaginary economy as wrong
Are you willing to give up your computer, airconditioning, car etc? Because you don't need any of those
lol wow the guy above comparing eating meat with rape and murder
Religion. Cows and a whole bunch of animals are considered sacred and not to be harmed. However, they aren't vegans: India is the largest producer and consumer of milk and they consume eggs. I'm not even sure veganism would be possible in non-industrialized communities, since supplements and/or fortified food is required.
samus i am
Member
No way.
Are you seriously making the leap from something smelling good to owning slaves?
So I take it you eat poop?
Why would I give up something that I really like?
Mango The Magician
Banned
Seriously, though if the world was entirely vegan I wonder what it'd look like. Like, outside of any negative stereotypes people want to imagine, I wonder how different things would be.
I really like meat as well. I gave it up, but as I said before, if you are not convinced of the ethical reasons behind it, there is no or little motivation to quit. I get that.
Completely give it up as a society? I don't think we will reach that point for a long time. I do think that we will reach a point economically though where meat will be viewed as a treat rather than a staple of a modern diet sometime in the future. And I'm fine with that. Personally I like eating meat, but I don't eat it every day anymore.
Opinionatedfish
Member
I want diversity of food culture, not the removal of items from the menu.
Particularly items with a Least Concern rating. In a way, we're not the Apex Predators, but we are predators, and we do contribute to the removal of vermin from the environment. Not even normal predators kill solely for food. (Example: Cats.)
When I was young, I hated pickles and tomatoes; but I told myself that I should learn to like them because I never want to starve. So, I would eat them until I stopped hating them. I eat meat because I want to make sure that I can handle a diverse amount of food. Thus I have no qualms with food and a diverse taste pallet. I'm a first generation American. Both of my parents immigrated here and naturalized. They came from "Third World" countries as defined by the original definition. So, yeah. Food diversity is important in my family.
Will I continue to eat meat? Yes.
Do I consider meat to be ethical? From a place of tradition and survivability? Yes.
Particularly items with a Least Concern rating. In a way, we're not the Apex Predators, but we are predators, and we do contribute to the removal of vermin from the environment. Not even normal predators kill solely for food. (Example: Cats.)
When I was young, I hated pickles and tomatoes; but I told myself that I should learn to like them because I never want to starve. So, I would eat them until I stopped hating them. I eat meat because I want to make sure that I can handle a diverse amount of food. Thus I have no qualms with food and a diverse taste pallet. I'm a first generation American. Both of my parents immigrated here and naturalized. They came from "Third World" countries as defined by the original definition. So, yeah. Food diversity is important in my family.
Will I continue to eat meat? Yes.
Do I consider meat to be ethical? From a place of tradition and survivability? Yes.
Wiktor
Member
This argument of yours ignores the economic realities. Treating animals right is expensive and it makes the meat from them expensive too. I wouldn't like those to dissapear. That said, a lab grown meat could replace the need for cheap livestock meat, one that cannot be produced unless you really treat those animals like crap.
I don't think it's that absurd to say that ethics go beyond out basic biological instincts.
Wiktor
Member
Not to me. You can;t really go vegetarian and low carb at the same time, not if you want to retain any sainity and low carb is the only thing that keeps my healthy.
Yep. The thread already went in circle.
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