The reality is that very little, in terms of concrete facts or real objective evidence, has been offered from either party in the meat vs plant battle. And while both sides of the debate are shouting at each other from across the fence, neither is vaguely prepared to listen. The vegan vs meat eater farce has become a complete circus. The cruel irony is that by confusing ideology at the expense of ecology, everyone is assisting with the destruction of our planet while trying to save it.

Wright, G. (2020). The Great Meat vs Plant Debate: Has everyone gone completely mad? Daily Maverick.

To be honest, I’m torn with this one. I can’t find an alternative to the moral view that it is unethical to breed, factory farm and eat sentient animals that are capable of suffering. But I also agree that we’re omnivores, evolved to eat meat as well as plants. I like to think that we’re in a transition phase of our humanity right now, where eating meat forms part of our diet, while at the same time we’re taking steps to reduce the suffering of animals by eating less of it, exploring alternative ways of farming, and ultimately, replacing the slaughter of animals with lab grown meat (or cultured meat).

What do you think? What should we be doing about the consumption of meat as a society?