The Ethics of Eating Meat

Abstract

In this paper I argue for the claim that it is morally problematic to get as many of our calories as we do from factory farmed meat. I divide up the problems into the categories of 1) Harm to Animals, 2) Harm to the Environment, and 3) Harm to Humans. I conclude with a series of common defenses of eating factory-farmed meat and offer a reply to each. I conclude that it would be morally better to cut down on the amount of factory-farmed meat one eats provided one can afford and find palatable alternatives.