Well, Meat Logic addresses the questions and assertions you may get from a philosophical point of view. It’s pretty comprehensive and covers everything from the common ‘We’re at the top of the food chain’ to the reasonable ‘People in the industry would lose their jobs’ to the just plain annoying ‘Mmmmm, Bacon’. Even if you feel like you have answers to these points, the chances are there may be some issues in here that you’d not thought of before. This book would certainly be of help to the new vegan and even for a relatively old hand like me, it was helpful. We’re always learning and it’s important to remain open to new information.
The book takes an incredibly logical approach. First, there’s a brief introduction to the relationship between philosophy and animals. This is really useful, as it lays the groundwork for most arguments. It poses many interesting scenarios, such as if beings came to this planet who were smarter than us and had the power to lock us up in sheds, would that give them the right to eat us? Animals are worthy of moral consideration because they think and feel and everything stems from that.
The book then goes point by point through each ‘objection’. It devotes many paragraphs to each one, from the easy to disprove ‘Animals are just things’ to ‘We wouldn’t have evolved big brains if our ancestors hadn’t eaten meat’ which may require a little more thought. Throughout the book the tone is calm, rational and measured. There are notes on each topic at the back of the book, giving more detail and sometimes suggestions for further reading, as well as a bibliography.
This is an extremely useful read if you sometimes find yourself at a loss during discussions. It will give you plenty of facts, but the basic principle that runs throughout the book i.e. that animals matter, should see you right in most situations. Meat Logic to me is pretty simple. Just because we can, doesn’t mean that we should.
I should just spam message this article to every ignorant asshole I know. Exelent artickle!
The book is indeed intelligently written, but I don’t believe it truly helps the argument either way. Is the purpose to create talking points to argue about? If so, to what end? There will always be opinionated vegans and omnis that think it is appropriate to shame the other.
Health-related arguments on either side are moot. You can eat meat everyday or be vegan and either be healthy or unhealthy. Vegans as a whole are probably generally healthier, but the argument that there is a causal relationship there is errant. Veganism is a choice that is sometimes made by people pursuing health. To create a parallel, I don’t think eating organic magically makes people healthier, but those pursuing healthy eating are more likely to have chosen to eat organic food, so those who eat organic food are more healthy.
Moral issues are more of a personal choice so I don’t think it is appropriate to judge someone else on that.
I personally eat meat and dairy daily. We get it from a local farm so I know where it comes from and how the animals are treated (but it is expensive). I dont think a lot of grocery store meat is grown ethically. But, again, I dont criticize those who are fine with it.
Hi, thanks for commenting. The book’s purpose, I think, is to give vegans resources when they are faced with questions by omnis on various aspects of veganism. It’s a very measured book and so I don’t think ‘shaming’ really comes into it. If you’re interested in the scientific evidence for the health benefits of a plant based diet, I highly recommend Dr. Michael Greger’s nutritionfacts.org
Vegan living is a moral issue however and so although better health can be a bonus, it’s really the rights of the animals that matter. The book lays out the fact that animals matter morally and that they feel pain. I don’t think pointing that out is judgemental. As you’re not a vegan then you’re possibly not the target audience, but I can assure you that there is no such thing as ‘humane meat.’ For more on this, check out Veganuary’s article. https://veganuary.com/starter-kit/the-humane-meat-myth/
Vegans want social change, which involves pointing out flaws in society. I don’t think there would be much social and moral progress if everyone just sat around afraid to criticise others’ behaviour. Remember though, it is only the behaviour that vegans think is wrong. Most of us ate meat and eggs and drank milk at the beginning of our lives. We simply want other people, most of whom want to be kind to animals, to bring their actions into line with their beliefs. Here’s to a kinder world. 🙂