Have you ever heard from meat eaters the argument of the Human development through meat owned it? Or even used it yourself? I have to admit that I used to think the same thing: Vegans ignore evolution! But then I realized that innocent animals had to die for my lifestyle. And this despite the fact that in today's civilization we no longer have to eat meat and could therefore simply adapt.
I would therefore like to show you why the development of humans through meat is not a logical reason for still consuming animal-based foods today. Let's go!
Why the "evolution of mankind through meat" is a weak argument
It is probably true that we would not be here today if we had not eaten the meat of wild animals and warmed ourselves with their skins in the Stone Age. But today we are no longer cavemen without moral values. We have evolved and live in a civilized society where, for example, murder and rape have consequences. Furthermore, it has been proven that all nutrientsthat we humans need to live are contained in plants in an even higher quality form.₁
So we no longer have to breed, mistreat and kill animals in order to eat them for our survival. So why should we do it anyway? After all, we no longer speak the underdeveloped language of our ancestors and don't do without a smartphone just because cavemen didn't have technology - right? Just because we did something earlier or for a long time doesn't justify it being morally acceptable forever. If that were the case, slavery and apartheid would still be socially acceptable today.
It has also been proven that the regular consumption of animal-based foods is harmful to health. The risk of heart disease, for example, triples compared to a purely plant-based diet.₂ In addition, meat consumption in our society is a key driver of the biggest environmental problems of our time. For example for the climate change, the Deforestation of the rainforests, the species extinction or the Water shortage. Meat from animals may have helped us at some point in our development. But since we can survive today without meat, this does not justify torturing and killing 74 billion farm animals worldwide every year₃, endangering our health and destroying the planet on which our children and grandchildren will live.
do vegans ignore evolution, or not?
The term "evolution" means development and more precisely the Continuous, progressive genetic adaptation of a population to living conditions. Today, new living conditions prevail - and evolution does not simply stop, it is still taking place. We have to adapt in order to climate change and others Environmental problems of our time to fight it. For this reason, arguments such as "vegans ignore evolution" or "People have always eaten meat" is also very weak and ill-considered.
We had to eat meat to evolve - today we survive without it!
Evolution goes on and on - and with the vegan lifestyle, we simply want to adapt in order to survive in the long term. Evolution is not interested in what happens to us. It doesn't think for us - we humans think and adapt.
Without necessity, today we exploit billions of innocent animals in the Factory farming before we take their lives. We are also endangering our health and the planet we live on.
I hope that this article has made you more aware that the history of our ancestors and human evolution cannot be a moral justification for what we unnecessarily do to animals today. Future generations will definitely look at this mistreatment with disgust.
Do you have questions, tips, or suggestions about the argument of humanity's evolution through meat? Then always bring them to us in the comments.
Stay sustainable,
PS: Have you ever heard that Veganism unmanly is? Or that one only works for animals and not vegan for humans lives? I have written a suitable article on each of these topics. Have fun!
References:
₁ University of Oxford: Plant-based foods are good for both health and the environment (as of 29.10.2020), available at https://t1p.de/ms6w. [15.07.2020].
₂ National Institutes of Health: Eating red meat daily triples heart disease-related chemical (as of 08.01.2019), available at https://t1p.de/avcc. [07.05.2020].
₃ Things explained - In a nutshell: Meat - The most delicious evil in the world, YouTube, 24.01.2019, Web, 07.05.2020 at 10:50 a.m., in: http://y2u.be/y6f3dwxexZM.
Hmmmmm, why does it need at all a 2646 characters comprehensive justification for a thesis? Is it not less about the logical justification of the belief to do everything right with a vegetarian / vegan diet, but rather about the "right to have" itself? The usual finger-pointing just...
Where does this need to communicate come from, this urge to try to convince others of one's opinion?
The statement that meat consumption is the main driver of the biggest environmental problems of our time is not true. Or where do all the green stuff and vegan convenience products that vegetarians/vegans eat come from? Certainly not from local, sustainable cultivation, but from distant regions of this world. The cultivation of soy, Chia, Avocados, Palmfett and coconut milk e.g. contribute also to the fact that enormous forest surfaces are deforested, loaded with synthetic fertilizers and pesticides and enormous quantities of water are used. Not to mention the ecological balance of the transport to us. And as we all know, the production of a vegan sausage requires significantly more energy than harvesting a carrot... In other words, vegetarians/vegans should also think about the sustainable basis of their diet.
P.S. I go, as far as my diet own, not mass-compatible ways to do without meat from factory farming as far as possible without giving up meat itself 😉
Hello Werner!
The starting thesis is "meat has helped us humans to evolve" - and that is true in relation to a period in our evolution when meat was essential for us humans to survive. But today it is different. Just because something once made sense, that does not apply for all eternity and may be questioned. I have come to the conclusion that the tradition and taste of meat are no longer a logical reason for the brutality of this industry. That's why I don't point my finger at others here, but start with myself to change something. Afterwards I justify with this and many other articles why it makes sense.
I think you know yourself that the soy cultivation, which leads to the deforestation of the rainforests, takes place mainly for animal feed (soy meal). In addition, the forests have to give way for pasture land.
Only about 2 percent is actually made into soy patties or other delicacies for the meat-free diet.₃ This is then usually European organic soy from GMO-free agriculture. Genetically modified soy is not even approved as food for end consumers in Germany - but it is approved as animal feed. More about this under "Soy destroys rainforest„.
And that you want to justify your meat consumption with avocados, palm fat & Co. is quite strange. I'm not saying that all plants are perfect - but I am saying that sentient beings have to die for meat products. As a vegan, you can definitely eat other things than avocados and palm oil 😉 .
Also meat substitute products like the vegan sausages quoted by you are not automatically energy-saving, only because they get along without meat - that is true! But as a Veganer one eats also not the whole time vegan sausages. I would argue that even half of what's on your plate is vegan these days, right?
What I want to say is: everyone has to think about where the food comes from that is on our plates - and about the suffering it causes - including vegans and vegetarians. But as a vegan, at least I know that I'm not paying anyone to cause suffering to other living creatures. Because that's the whole point of the movement: To prevent animal cruelty and suffering for one's own lifestyle, as far as it is somehow practically possible. And I would imagine that this is also in line with your personal values.
LG Christoph
PS:: Due to your until just behind your name linked website I know that here probably only your daily meat business want to defend. My contribution is also not against you personally - but should only stimulate to think. Because I have also eaten meat for 30 years of my life. But I personally don't think it's right anymore.