manner. If it could be done at all, the animal flesh thus
producedwouldbevastlymoreexpensivethananimalfleshis
today—and rearing animals is already an expensive and
inefficient way ofproducing protein.The flesh ofanimals
rearedandkilledwithequalconsiderationforthewelfareof
animalswhiletheywerealivewouldbeadelicacyavailable
only to the rich.
All this is, in any case, quite irrelevant to the immediate
question of the ethics of our daily diet. Whatever the
theoreticalpossibilitiesofrearinganimalswithoutsuffering
maybe,thefactisthatthemeatavailablefrombutchersand
supermarketscomesfromanimalswhowerenottreatedwith
anyrealconsiderationatallwhilebeingreared.Sowemust
askourselves,not:Isiteverrighttoeatmeat?but:Isitright
toeatthismeat?HereIthinkthatthosewhoareopposedto
theneedlesskillingofanimalsandthosewhoopposeonlythe
inflictionofsufferingmustjointogetherandgivethesame,
negative answer.
Becomingavegetarianisnotmerelyasymbolicgesture.Nor
isitanattempttoisolateoneselffromtheuglyrealitiesofthe
world,tokeeponeselfpureandsowithoutresponsibilityfor
thecrueltyandcarnageallaround.Becomingavegetarianisa
highlypracticalandeffectivesteponecantaketowardending
both thekillingof nonhumananimalsand theinfliction of
sufferinguponthem.Assume,forthemoment,thatitisonly
thesufferingthatwedisapproveof,notthekilling.Howcan
westoptheuseoftheintensivemethodsofanimalrearing
described in the previous chapter?
So long as people are prepared to buy the products of
intensive farming, the usual forms of protest and political