Applied Ethics Presentation human euthanasia
amy.hoekh2o
sample_presentation-1.pptxVegetarianism
Is it unethical to eat meat?
Presented By: Student
Acer (A) - This is a very well-structured presentation. You could perhaps use a little more color in the background. The green feels very blocky. This adds to the structure of the presentation, but also gives it something of a cold, authoritarian feel. Especially given you topic and most likely audience, a more natural feel might be more effective. Also, remember that you need to include full top-matter on your title slide, not just your name.
The Debate
Consumers of meat products believe they are acting in an ethically responsible manner
Vegetarians and vegans say it is unethical to consume meat for various reasons
An increasingly common debate is the ethics of eating meat. Consumers of meat products believe that they are within their moral rights to eat meat. They argue there is no reason to abstain from eating nutrient and plentiful meat, and cite mainly health reasons for the practice being acceptable. Vegetarians and vegans, however, believe otherwise. They believe that it is unethical to eat meat, and they have many reasons to support their claim. This presentation will take a look at both sides of the issue from an ethical standpoint. By comparing the arguments in favor of and against the consumption of meat, the ethical dilemma will be clear, and will be resolved by applying the theories of Ethical Egoism, Utilitarian, and Divine Command.
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Acer (A) - Again, great structure here. You've got clear bullet points and good comments in the notes. I'm curious why you chose to put titles at the bottom of your slides. There's nothing wrong with this, it's just an unusual choice.
Arguments for and Against Eating Meat
Pros
Most convenient source of protein
Meat has good saturated fats, vitamin B12, and iron
85% of US grazing land is ideal for raising beef, but not for growing plants (VegetarianProCon.org).
Cons
Practices used to raise meat are inhumane (Devries, n.d.).
Producing meat hurts the environment
Cattle contribute the highest percentage of greenhouse emissions (Henning, 2011).
Meat production increases the use of antibiotics, which produces antibiotic resistant strains of bacteria
Working in the meat industry is dangerous (Devries, n.d.)
The greatest argument in favor of eating meat is the health benefits. Meat has many vitamins and fats that are necessary to a human diet, and the quantity and absorption of these nutrients are not found in this intensity from another source (Cunningham & Cunningham, 2011). In addition, much of the land in the U.S. is not suitable for growing plants, and can be utilized by livestock farming (VegetarianProCon.org). On the other hand, vegetarians argue that meat production methods are inhumane, and are bad for the environment (Henning, 2011). This type of factory work is dangerous, and combined with the increase use of antibiotics makes it harmful to humans as well (Devries, n.d.).
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Acer (A) - This is a common argument. However, one of the common counter arguments is that animals and humans are different. Because animals and humans are different, standards of treatment must be different as well. Thus, it is not necessarily wrong to treat an animal inhumanely because they are not human in the first place. This becomes a very complicated argument, but it should be addressed in your presentation. It is one of the most significant sections of this debate.
Pros in Detail
Meat is the most concentrated form of protein available, with dairy close behind. Protein is essential for giving humans energy. Meat also contains iron and healthy fats human bodies need.
Meat in the United States in fairly cheap and easy to obtain, giving a wider market of people access to the protein they need.
Meat can be produced sustainably, in the form of rotational grazing (Cunningham & Cunningham, 2012).
Meat, including seafood, is the greatest source of protein in a human’s diet (Cunningham & Cunningham, 2012). Meat provides not only amino acids (“the building blocks of protein”), but also vitamin B, iron, zinc, and saturated fats that contain vitamins A, D, E, and K. Most plants do not have enough amino acids in them for a healthy diet. About 15 to 35 percent of the iron found in meat is absorbed by the human body. Only about 2 to 20 percent of the iron found in vegetables is absorbed (VegetarianProCon.org, 2013). Meat is readily available, and more people than ever have access to what once was difficult to afford. Even seafood is becoming cheaper, thanks to aquaculture, or seafood farming. Moreover, beef can be a sustainable food, when methods such as rotational grazing are put into place. Rotational grazing uses electric fences that are moved when cattle need to graze in a different area, and this has been shown to help keep both the land and animals healthy (Cunningham & Cunningham, 2012).
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Cons in Detail
Animals are kept in overcrowded, filthy conditions. This increases the risk of the spread of disease, which increases the need for antibiotics. Animals are kept on continuous doses of antibiotics during their life, which creates antibiotic resistant strains of bacteria. This contributes to a rise in food-borne illnesses (Devries, n.d.).
18% of all greenhouse gases are emitted from cattle. This has a serious effect on the environment, through global warming. Only 13% is produced by trains, buses, cars, planes and boats.
Forests are being cleared to make room for more animal farming (Henning, 2011).
Cheaper, more obtainable meat is due to an increase in production. To keep up with the demand, most meat is manufactured by a process called “confined animal feeding operation”, or CAFO. The purpose of CAFO is to produce the most meat as fast as possible (Cunningham & Cunningham, 2012). This creates large amounts of waste that surround the animals as they are kept in very cramped spaces (Henning, 2011). To combat this, the animals are kept on continuous doses of antibiotics. In fact, half of all antibiotics produced are administered to cattle. CAFO’s have led to more food-borne illnesses than ever, and the number of antibiotic resistant strains of bacteria are growing (Devries, n.d.).
A serious problem in the production of cattle is the increase of greenhouse gas emissions. Of all greenhouse gases that are produced, cattle contribute 18%, while trains, buses, cars, planes, and boats combined only contribute 13% (Henning, 2011). The approximate one billion cattle in the world produce double the amount of methane than is normally found in the atmosphere (Cunningham & Cunningham, 2012).
Forest land is being cleared so that there is more space available for the manufacture of meat (Devries, n.d.). Forests are important for water and air purification, as a habitat for wildlife, and climate control (Cunningham & Cunningham, 2012).
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Acer (A) - You have a good discussion of the practical problems caused by this treatment of animals. However, you need to provide a stronger discussion of the ethical debate.
Cons in Detail, cont’d
An average of 650 animals are slaughtered every second of every day. They are no longer farmed; they are mass produced using “concentrated animal feeding operations” (Henning, 2011).
Livestock farming is considered the most dangerous factory job in America by Human Rights Watch (Devries, n.d.). Over one billion of the world’s poorest earn their livelihood this way (Henning, 2011).
Again, CAFO is the system most commonly used to keep up with the demand for meat. This translates into roughly 650 animals slaughtered every second of every single day. This is no longer the “farming” of meat, it is the “manufacturing” of meat. Instead of being raised by farmhands, these animals are tended by low wage factory workers (Henning, 2011). Special species of animals have been produced that mature at a much faster rate, turning over the animal from birth until slaughter, in some cases, in a matter of weeks (Cunningham & Cunningham, 2012).
Another difficulty to overcome is the danger a meat farming job poses to the workers. Human Rights Watch, an organization that defends and protects human rights, considers livestock farming to be the most dangerous factory job in America (Devries, n.d.). Meat production factories pay low wages, and many poor earn their living in this way (Henning, 2011).
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Acer (A) - Again, from an ethical standpoint, why does this matter? You have good information here, and the beginnings of a strong moral argument, but you need to actually make that argument.
Ethical Dilemma
Dilemma
The ethical consumption of meat
The ethical abstinence from meat
Choosing only sustainable meat
Ethical Theories
Ethical Egoism
Utilitarianism
Divine Command
Now that the facts have been detailed, the ethical responsibility of each individual is raised. Is it ethical to eat meat, or is vegetarianism the only ethical option? Is there another choice? This depends on the ethics practiced. The ethical theory that a person adopts mandates the answer to these questions. Ethical Egoism, Utilitarianism, and Divine Command Theory will be explored to determine the most ethical choice, based on the facts provided.
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The ethical theory of Ethical Egoism
Human nature dictates what is needed for survival
“Reason” is what is most important for survival
Selfishness is moral
Thinking of others before oneself is irrational (Wilkens, 2011)
Ethical egoism was developed by Ayn Rand. The premise of this ethical theory is that selfishness is a good thing; selflessness is not. In determining what is moral, human nature does what is needed to survive. This is ethical, regardless of what must be done in order to accomplish the goal. Man’s ability to reason, or his ability to rationalize, is what is needed most for his survival. To behave rationally is to behave selfishly. Selflessness is irrational (Wilkens, 2011).
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Acer (A) - In general these three slides could be removed without overly harming the presentation. You could combine these slides with your specific application slides below to provide a tighter presentation.
The ethical theory of Utilitarianism
The ethical choice is that which produces the most good for the greatest number of people.
Other people’s happiness is as important as one’s own
Choices that are good for oneself but a detriment to others are unethical (Wilkens, 2011).
The quality of desires must be evaluated using reason (Hauskeller, 2011).
Utilitarianism is an ethical system founded on the belief that actions that benefit the most amount of people are the morally correct ones. While there are variations of this basic idea within Utilitarianism, the common theme is that which brings people happiness, or pleasure, is what is good (Wilkens, 2011). John S. Mill expanded on this by the introduction of qualitative desires. Not all desires are worthy. Reason must be used when making decisions, noting that a base desire will produce less happiness and then cease to be enjoyable than an intellectual desire (Hauskeller, 2011). When faced with moral dilemmas, the utilitarian must consider not only his own wishes and desire, but those of the people around him. If the Utilitarian makes a choice that benefits himself, but leaves others unhappy, then that choice is unethical by Utilitarian standards (Wilkens, 2011).
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The ethical theory of Divine Command
God is the ultimate moral authority
God’s morality is outlined in the Bible
Humans are incapable of behaving ethically on their own (Wilkens, 2011).
For people following Divine Command ethics, the commands outlined in the Bible are the basis for all ethical and moral decisions. Since the Bible is the word of God, His morality is found within the Bible. When faced with an ethical dilemma, one need only read through the pages of the Bible and the correct way of handling such issues are revealed. Man is sinful by nature and he is incapable of making ethical decisions based on his own feelings or intuitions. Making choices that are against God’s commands is unethical (Wilkens, 2011).
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Ethical Egoism on Vegetarianism
Human nature does what it needs to survive; eating meat is a natural part of providing the nutrients needed for a healthy life.
Reason dictates that the fastest and most efficient way to obtain the protein needed for energy is to consume meat.
If one feels that eating meat is right for them, then it is ethical.
Since putting others above oneself is irrational, it is even more irrational to put the well being of animals before one’s own desires.
The ethical dilemma of eating meat or not is perhaps the easiest to resolve for the ethical egoist. Since the basis of ethical egoism is doing what is best for the individual, an ethical egoist would determine that since the protein needed for healthful living is found most abundantly in meat, it is in their best interest to eat meat. The ethical egoist that enjoys eating meat can continue to eat meat with the assurance that their choice is the ethical one, since the ethical theory they subscribe to deems that giving in to their desires is ethical. To weigh in the well being of the animals goes against their ethical theory. It would be irrational to abstain from eating meat on the basis of the conditions in which the animals are produced. By the same token, if an ethical egoist does not want to eat meat, it is entirely ethical for them to cease eating meat. What is important is that they give in to their desires.
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Acer (A) - Good clear application here. Good job.
Utilitarianism on Vegetarianism
The affordability and nutrient density of meat make it the ideal protein source for a large amount of people.
The benefits must be weighed against the drawbacks as they relate to the population as a whole.
Given the facts, the ethical decision can only be the one that grants the most people happiness and satisfaction, regardless of anything else.
Because utilitarianism is based on the greatest good for the most amount of people, it is especially important for the utilitarian to weigh the pros and cons of this debate. Truly an ethical dilemma for those that enjoy eating meat, those desires must be secondary to how the decision will affect society as a whole. On the one hand, never before has meat been so abundant and cheap. Socioeconomic classes who could not afford meat in the past now have access to this concentrated source of protein. This is in large part due to the CAFO’s, which mass produce meat, making it abundant and more affordable. Also making it affordable is the ability of CAFO’s to hire low wage factory workers instead of skilled farmhands. Looking at just these facts, it seems that it is entirely ethical to eat meat.
However, the utilitarian must also weigh in the drawbacks of eating meat, such as the harmful effects to the environment, and the danger posed to the factory workers. Taking into account that greenhouse gases are believed to contribute to global warming, this climate trend has catastrophic effects (Cunningham & Cunningham, 2010). Similarly, the removal of forests also has a negative effect on the earth. Given the widespread consequences of such actions, people everywhere on earth feel the effects. Also to be considered is the health and wellbeing of the factory workers. With the danger posed to them, the utilitarian must decide whether the threat of loss of life of the factory workers is sufficient to negate the benefit of meat to so many people.
Using Mill’s qualitative utilitarianism, the enjoyment of meat versus the potential ramifications of damaging the earth so severely to bring about drought and famine must be considered. Given all of the facts, the utilitarian would decide that although meat is a great health benefit to so many, the price the earth has to pay for the production of meat would ultimately reduce the food supply for the entire world. The ethical choice is to become vegetarian.
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Acer (A) - Again, good, clean presentation.
Divine Command on Vegetarianism
God has granted man permission to eat meat (Genesis 9:3, NIV).
Animals are God’s creation, and must be treated with care (Proverbs 12:10).
In Divine Command ethics, the ethical dilemma of eating meat or not must be measured against the standard God has set for man. In Genesis 9:3-4, after the flood, God gives permission to consume animals to Noah, the condition being that no blood should be eaten. “Everything that lives and moves will be food for you. Just as I gave you the green plants, I now give you everything. But you must not eat meat that has its lifeblood still in it”. Clearly, the eating of meat itself is not against God’s commands. The ethical dilemma now becomes this: does the inhumane treatment of animals prohibit the consumption of meat produced in this way? Animals were created by God, and were intended to be cared for by Adam. “Rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air and over every living creature that moves on the ground” (Genesis 1:28b). God cared for His creation, the animals, and demonstrated that care by giving them over to Adam to name. “Now the Lord God had formed out of the ground all the beasts of the field and all the birds of the air. He brought them to the man to see what he would name them; and whatever the man called each living creature, that was its name” (Genesis 2:19). In fact, God declared His creation, the animals, “good” (Genesis 1:25). The Bible also speaks out against cruelty to animals, indicating those that do so are wicked. “A righteous man cares for the needs of his animal, but the kindest acts of the wicked are cruel” (Proverbs 12:10).
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Acer (A) - Again, strong slide. Both of these points are well supported. Your last point could use a little more support from the law though (Exodus, Leviticus, and Deuteronomy).
Divine Command, cont’d
Option C:
Sustainably produced meat
God clearly does not command a vegetarian diet, but subscribers of Divine Command cannot ignore the unethical practices used to produce meat. Adopting a vegetarian diet is certainly an option, but is not necessary. Disregarding the current meat production practices is unethical. The best option is to choose meat that has been produced using the sustainable practices discussed earlier in the presentation. This is the ethically responsible choice.
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Acer (A) - Again, this could use a little more support. You have a good point, but you need to more fully prove that point. Both logical argument and a stronger focus on biblical standards of treatment for animals would help.
Alternative Choice
Eating meat or adopting vegetarianism is a difficult ethical decision. With the current practices in meat manufacturing, it is no wonder that many feel a moral obligation to remove meat from their diet. But another option exists: sustainable meat practices can produce healthier meat free of antibiotics, are more humane, and are better for the environment.
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Conclusion
Consumption of meat is a personal choice
The ethical system adopted by an individual will influence their decision
Not all will agree on the ethically responsible choice
An alternative choice is the best option
Resolution of this ethical dilemma is a very personal decision that every individual must make on his own. The ethical theories of these individuals will determine their course of action, and as this presentation demonstrated, followers of Ethical Egoism, Utilitarianism, and Divine Command Theory all have different definitions of which is actually the ethical choice. Nevertheless, this issue cannot be ignored, but must be addressed. Which will it be: unlimited meat consumption, vegetarian, or an alternative choice?
Thank you.
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References
Cunningham, M.A., & Cunningham, W. P. (2012). Environmental Science. New York, NY: McGraw Hill.
Devries, J. (n.d). Making Choices: Ethics and Vegetarianism. Dissent, 59(2), 39-41.
Hauskeller, M. (2011). No Philosophy for Swine: John Stuart Mill on the Quality of Pleasures. Utilitas, 23(4), 428-446. doi:10.1017/S0953820811000264
Henning, B. (2011). Standing in Livestock's ''Long Shadow'': The Ethics of Eating Meat on a Small Planet. Ethics & The Environment, 16(2), 63-93. doi:10.2979/ethicsenviro.16.2.63
References, cont’d
VegetarianProCon.org. Retrieved from http://vegetarian.procon.org/#video_gallery
Wilkins, S. (2011). Beyond Bumper Sticker Ethics: An Introduction to Theories of Right and Wrong. Downers Grove, IL: Intervarsity Press.
Picture courtesy of JustFood coop. Retrieved from http://justfood.coop/festival-of-farms-2/
