The Ethical Consequences Of Eating Meat - 1986 Words

Eating meat may be one of the oldest behaviors of mankind. However, it has been proven humans do not need meat to survive. It has been proven vegetarians can live an equal, if not better, healthy lifestyle compared to those who consume meat. Yet Vegetarians, although they are becoming more accepted and common, are still seen as a liberal niche. Meat eating in society does not even give a second thought to most people, but the ethicists and philosophers are asking: Is eating meat morally correct? Of course there will be many opposing arguments from meat eaters (note that I myself eat meat on an almost daily basis), stating, â€Å"Who cares†, â€Å"Wild animals always do it†, or â€Å"I can’t do anything about it†. But through deep thought and†¦show more content†¦To eat meat, you must accept the fact you are behaving unethical, and come to terms with your actions, if you are a Utilitarian. Spearheaded by Jeremy Bentham and John Stuart Mill, t he moral theory of Utilitarianism was founded upon the belief that we should all make decisions that benefit society as a whole, not acting selfishly for the sole benefit of ourselves. Utilitarianism focuses on the end results and the costs and benefit those results yield. It is an ethical principle, which is intended to maximize happiness for all parties affected by the decision. By using a cost benefit analysis, or hedonic calculus, one can examine if a certain action is an ethical behavior. This requires assigning a number value to all pains and pleasures and calculating them to determine is the behavior is ethical. If there are more positives than negatives, it seems according to Utilitarianism, that you should go ahead and make the positive action. It can be applied to direct or indirect actions, only dependent upon the final outcome. However, in the foundation of Utilitarianism, the key words are â€Å"all parties†. This includes non-human animals, sentient or no t. In An Introduction to the Principles of Morals and Legislation, Bentham states a now famous line to animal rights activists, â€Å"The question is not, Can they reason? Nor, can they talk? But, can they suffer?†. If animals incur pain