Eliminating animal products mitigates the problem but it in no way absolves you from our exponential consumption of finite resources, and in many ways it’s naive non-solution.
Well, I have chosen to not reproduce. So at least my consumption has an expiration date. I’m sure this doesn’t absolve me either, but it’s what it is.
For example: culling and eating pest animals like deer is not vegan
There is something truly distasteful about bringing a sentient being into existence for the sole purpose of exploiting it. Although I don’t hunt (or fish), I don’t take issue with it so long as it is done in a responsible manner. I know “responsible” is subjective, but I’m not taking an extreme position on it.
For the record I 100% agree with both of your positions in practice. We slightly differ on the topic of distaste for exploiting life.
IMO that’s a function of how many human features we attribute to the life and how we exploit it. Thus it’s very subjective and can only be looked at in the aggregate: slaughtering cows and pigs is distasteful because they bleed and scream like any mammal. Milking is exploitative but it can be a much less invasive process and a more fair exchange for a decent life of domestic animals. Think of the human job of a wet nurse, it doesn’t inherently have to be shitty. In practice its just not feasible to have a benign and symbiotic relationship while providing milk for everyone.
I’m just here to rail against extreme positions like “all animals must have the same rights”. It’s such a seemingly benevolent statement that’s loaded with much more complex implications when you apply it to reality.
Well, I have chosen to not reproduce. So at least my consumption has an expiration date. I’m sure this doesn’t absolve me either, but it’s what it is.
There is something truly distasteful about bringing a sentient being into existence for the sole purpose of exploiting it. Although I don’t hunt (or fish), I don’t take issue with it so long as it is done in a responsible manner. I know “responsible” is subjective, but I’m not taking an extreme position on it.
For the record I 100% agree with both of your positions in practice. We slightly differ on the topic of distaste for exploiting life.
IMO that’s a function of how many human features we attribute to the life and how we exploit it. Thus it’s very subjective and can only be looked at in the aggregate: slaughtering cows and pigs is distasteful because they bleed and scream like any mammal. Milking is exploitative but it can be a much less invasive process and a more fair exchange for a decent life of domestic animals. Think of the human job of a wet nurse, it doesn’t inherently have to be shitty. In practice its just not feasible to have a benign and symbiotic relationship while providing milk for everyone.
I’m just here to rail against extreme positions like “all animals must have the same rights”. It’s such a seemingly benevolent statement that’s loaded with much more complex implications when you apply it to reality.