Eating animals.
Eating animals Potential wrongs Eating animals poses two moral problems. Is it wrong in principle to raise and kill animals so that human beings can eat meat and fish? Does it stop being wrong if the processes involved are carried out humanely? Eating animals is also criticised on health and ecological grounds, but this article only deals with wrongs to the animals involved. Violated rights If you accept that animals have rights, raising and killing animals for food is morally wrong. An animal raised for food is being used by others rather than being respected for itself. In philosopher's terms it is being treated as a means to human ends and not as an end in itself. This is a clear violation of the animal's rights. No matter how humanely an animal is treated in the process, raising and killing it for food remains morally wrong. But: This is using 'rights' in a rather technical philosophical sense. When people talk about animal rights colloquia...