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Is eating dog meat immoral? Is eating dog meat immoral?
No, eating dog meat is not immoral No, eating dog meat is not immoral
Yes, eating dog meat is immoral Yes, eating dog meat is immoral
Eating dog meat is no more immoral than eating other livestock Eating dog meat is no more immoral than eating other livestock
Yes, eating any animal is immoral Yes, eating any animal is immoral
Eating meat is normal for the human diet, even dog meat Eating meat is normal for the human diet, even dog meat
Dog meat is a traditional and cultural food with religious connotations Dog meat is a traditional and cultural food with religious connotations
The practice of eating dog meat often originates from famine The practice of eating dog meat often originates from famine
As pet culture increases, the consumption of dog meat becomes tabooed As pet culture increases, the consumption of dog meat becomes tabooed
People have an emotional attachment to their pets and consider them family People have an emotional attachment to their pets and consider them family
The harvesting of dog meat results in abuse The harvesting of dog meat results in abuse
Eating dogs is only considered immoral from a Western viewpoint Eating dogs is only considered immoral from a Western viewpoint
Livestock like pigs and cows are just as intelligent and loving as dogs Livestock like pigs and cows are just as intelligent and loving as dogs
Meat should not be considered a sustainable food source. Meat should not be considered a sustainable food source.
All animals deserve to live All animals deserve to live
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Is eating dog meat immoral?
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Yes, eating any animal is immoral

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All animals deserve to live

All livestock animals, including dogs, are equally deserving of human empathy. There is no reason why eating dogs should be considered immoral while eating other animals is not.
Ellie Goulding
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The Argument

Since ancient times animals have been helpers and companions to humans. Some animals are chosen, other animals choose the owner but either way, it’s not some intellectual decision of having a source of shelter and food but an empathetic choice both animals and humans make. Dogs are capable of recognizing tone and people, elephants are able to think humans are cute, and many zookeepers and animal rescuers are trusted and loved by the animals they take care of. [1]These are all responses built up and made by emotions. Emotions that change the idea of prey and food into friend, someone who helps, someone who gives love. Humanity has had animals help to survive for a long time. They’ve plowed fields, transported people too and fro, protected the livestock and the children, and in the modern era that doesn’t need to stop. Humans and animals can coexist peacefully without needing to devolve to eating eating each other.

Counter arguments

Humans have been eating animals for much longer than they’ve been working together with them.[2] While there is intelligence to animals it’s different from the type that humans have where they are able to adapt and overcome, leaving them near the top of the food chain. The law of nature and natural selection is also part of what separates humans from animals. Humans evolved, becoming smarter, using that knowledge to become the dominant species on the planet. With this grew civilizations, farming, and raising livestock. Crops alone couldn’t support an entire group of people, meaning meat was important to survival and people have seen no reason to change this. While the human body needs protein to survive people do not usually search out substitutes when they, like their ancestors, have meat. It might seem unfair but for the world this is just tradition continuing on as humans continue to eat meat. Whether they’re raised for slaughter or hunted, in a dog eat dog world, humans got used to being the ones to eat.

Proponents

Premises

[P1] All animals are intelligent and capable of empathy.

Rejecting the premises

References

  1. https://www.jstor.org/stable/24939761?seq=3#metadata_info_tab_contents
  2. https://www.nature.com/scitable/knowledge/library/evidence-for-meat-eating-by-early-humans-103874273/

In the Wild

This page was last edited on Tuesday, 15 Sep 2020 at 20:09 UTC

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