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Chapter 3 - Burger Veganism

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  25 March 2019

Andy Lamey
Affiliation:
University of California, San Diego
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Summary

Steven Davis has offered an influential argument for the view that the diet most consistent with animal protection philosophy is one that contains some meat. Davis cites the accidental death of field animals during vegetable harvesting. Empirical studies suggest that the number of field mice, rats, and similar creatures killed in crop cultivation may outnumber the total animal deaths involved in the raising of beef cattle, so long as the cows are raised on a diet of grass rather than grain. If so, then the most logical diet for animal advocates to adopt is one that includes hamburger and milk from grass-fed cows, in order to reduce the overall number of animals killed. Davis's argument for burger veganism overlooks philosophically significant forms of harm to human beings that are present in beef production but not vegetable harvesting, and bases his argument on the implausible assumption that there is no difference between deliberate and accidental killing. A final problem bedevils not only Davis’s orginal argument but subsequent variations that defend eating Australian red meat and roadkill. It is that more than one current trend in plant agriculture causes little or no collateral harm to animals.

Type
Chapter
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Duty and the Beast
Should We Eat Meat in the Name of Animal Rights?
, pp. 61 - 91
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2019

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  • Burger Veganism
  • Andy Lamey, University of California, San Diego
  • Book: Duty and the Beast
  • Online publication: 25 March 2019
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781316672693.004
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  • Burger Veganism
  • Andy Lamey, University of California, San Diego
  • Book: Duty and the Beast
  • Online publication: 25 March 2019
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781316672693.004
Available formats
×

Save book to Google Drive

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Google Drive.

  • Burger Veganism
  • Andy Lamey, University of California, San Diego
  • Book: Duty and the Beast
  • Online publication: 25 March 2019
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781316672693.004
Available formats
×