I heard something to do with Nitrogen and …cow farts(?) I am really unsure of this and would like to learn more.

Answer -

4 Parts

  • Ethical reason for consuming animals
  • Methane produced by cows are a harmful greenhouse gas which is contributing to our current climate crisis
  • Health Reasons - there is convincing evidence that processed meats cause cancer
  • it takes a lot more calories of plant food to produce the calories we would consume from the meat.

Details about the answers are in the comments

  • neuralnerd@lemmy.world
    2·
    1 year ago

    you can’t prove plants aren’t sentient.

    And you can’t prove something is sentient. But scientists have criteria that help determine whether a species is sentient. See this review for example.

    even if you could, why should sentience matter?

    I already answered. If something can’t be harmed there no need to prevent harming it.

    what ethical system even accounts for sentience as a factor of right behavior?

    About all animal welfare:

    Respect for animal welfare is often based on the belief that nonhuman animals are sentient and that consideration should be given to their well-being or suffering, especially when they are under the care of humans.[4]

    • commie@lemmy.dbzer0.comEnglish
      11·
      1 year ago

      If something can’t be harmed there no need to prevent harming it.

      i don’t really like your use of harm here to exclude everything but sentient beings, but as a term of art, for the purposes of this discussion, i will indulge you.

      why does it matter if something CAN be harmed? what creates a duty to NOT HARM something?

      • neuralnerd@lemmy.world
        2·
        1 year ago

        what creates a duty to NOT HARM something?

        About all ethics is about reducing harm. If you don’t know that harming is bad I don’t think we can have a discussion.

        • commie@lemmy.dbzer0.comEnglish
          11·
          1 year ago

          deontological ethics are explicitly not about that. divine command theory is unconcerned with that. can you name an ethical system that does concern itself with that?