The Ethics of Eating Animals

Intensive animal agriculture wrongs many, many animals. Philosophers have argued, on this basis, that most people in wealthy Western contexts are morally obligated to avoid animal products. This book explains why the author thinks thats mistaken. He reaches this negative conclusion by contending that the major arguments for veganism fail: they dont establish the right sort of connection between producing and eating animal-based foods. Moreover, if they didnt have this problem, then they would have other ones: we wouldnt be obliged to abstain from all animal products, but to eat strange things insteade.g., roadkill, insects, and things left in dumpsters. On his view, although we have a collective obligation not to farm animals, there is no specific diet that most individuals ought to have. Nevertheless, he does think that some people are obligated to be vegans, but thats because theyve joined a movement, or formed a practical identity, that requires that sacrifice. This book argues that there are good reasons to make such a move, albeit not ones strong enough to show that everyone must do likewise.