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Originally Posted by noumenal
Why?
I know you're probably really tired of answering this question, but I'm curious. There are so many different justifications.
Do you need a justification? I don't know.
Personally, I can't think of a good reason. I recently read an article by Roger Scruton about why people are vegetarians. Had to do with the lack of piety surrounding meat-eating in the modern world. People no longer say thanks to the animal (like Native Americans in the movies) after killing them. People no longer engage in the kind of community rituals (even just sittinng around the table with family) that used to surround meat-eating. They just stuff Big Macs down their gullet while sitting alone in their car. So, vegetarians are supplanting artificial restrictions in order to satisfy this urge for reverence. Is this bullshit? Makes more sense to me than, "I just don't like the taste of meat."
Thoughts?
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Scruton's argument's fallicious - although the atheist doesn't give thanks for their food, the Christian does with Grace, the Muslim eating Halal pays for someone else to do the killing and thanks, and then gives thanks twice, likewise the Kosher eating Jew. I forget the dietary requirements/ ceremonies of Hindus and Buddhists, I know Sikhs have plenty of prayers for any number of occasions.
What you (via Scruton) say is true for atheists, certainly, but I think you're talking about one kind of person from one part of the world - worldwide this is not the case.
Regarding the piety, I suspect a lot of veggies - by no means all, just a vocal minority - are pious by account of their supplanting religion with a 'moral code'. I don't think its the ceremony of food, I think its a wider malaise of searching for faith without believing in any of the major religions - and I think this is a similar reasoning to the constant fetishising of Eastern religion within the 'conscious hippy' types. As it happens, I think Buddhism is a religion which is no better or worse than any other.
I like meat. Meat is something I like a great deal. I don't particularly care what anyone else eats, that's their deal. But I do enjoy shouting at sanctimonious twats.