The moral basis of vegetarianism

Espen Gamlund

The moral basis of vegetarianism

In: Ethics and the politics of food

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Espen Gamlund

Espen Gamlund Department of Philosophy, Classics, History of Art and Ideas, University of Oslo, P.O. Box 1020 Blindern, N-0325 Oslo, Norway, espen.gamlund@ifikk.uio.no

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Type:: Chapter

Pages:: 123–127

DOI:: https://doi.org/10.3920/9789086865758_020

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During the last decades there has been an ongoing ethical debate about vegetarianism. This debate has attracted several philosophers, theologicians and others. The purpose of this paper is to provide an account of the moral basis of vegetarianism. Generally speaking, there are two dominant approaches to the moral basis of vegetarianism: Peter Singer’s animal welfare ethics, and Tom Regan’s animal rights ethics. According to Singer, we have an obligation to become vegetarians because factory farming inflicts suffering on sentient animals. Moreover, this suffering is avoidable because meat is not necessary to provide us with a healthy diet. According to Regan, we have an obligation to become vegetarians because animals are experiencing subjects of a life with an inherent moral status value, and they have a moral right not to be caused unavoidable harm. I will offer a third approach that I will term a recognition theory of moral status. This theory implies that the way we conceive of ourselves as human beings constitutes the normative basis for recognizing the moral status of animals. I will argue that the commitment to become vegetarians can be defended in view of this theory.

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Ethics and the politics of food

Preprints of the 6th Congress of the European Society for Agricultural and Food Ethics

E-Book ISBN:: 9789086865758

Publisher:: Wageningen Academic

Print Publication Date:: 10 Oct 2006

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- Life Sciences

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The moral basis of vegetarianism

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Ethics and the politics of food

Preprints of the 6th Congress of the European Society for Agricultural and Food Ethics

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