Encyclopedia of Opinion

Question: Should you go vegan?
Position‹2 of 2: Eating animal products is unethical
Argument‹5 of 5: Eating meat causes animal cruelty

Farmed animals have been proven to have feelings, thoughts, and personalities. On today’s factory farms, they’re crammed by the thousands into filthy sheds and wire cages. Some never see the light of day.

The argument

Animals have rights like humans do. People do not have the right to make them suffer their whole life just to serve us as an unnecessary food. Non-human animals are entitled to the possession of their own existence and their most basic interests. Their right to avoid suffering should be afforded the same consideration as similar interests of human beings.

Premises

[P1]Animals have rights like humans and are entitled to their own existence and most basic interests. [P2] People have no right to make them suffer their whole lives merely to serve as unnecessary food. [P3] An animal's interest in avoiding suffering deserves the same consideration as a human's. [C] Therefore, because eating meat causes animal cruelty, eating animal products is unethical.

Counter-arguments

Humans are more important than animals. Animals are less intelligent than humans and may not have a consciousness. What we consider to be cruel treatment of animals is nothing but the split second of pain they experience when they are killed.

Rejecting the premises

[Rejecting P1] Animals do not have rights in the same way people do.