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We Need to Eat Less Meat, But Rigid Perfection is Not The Answer
Veganism isn’t for everybody, and in some ways it can make matters worse
Jainism is an interesting religion. Jains practice ahimsa, which means non-violence. And this non-violence doesn’t just mean no karate-chopping people on the subway, it’s no hurting anything, ever. Jains, for instance, are known to carry small brooms around, so that they can sweep the ground in front of them, lest they step on an ant as they walk.
But ants aren’t the smallest things. We all know that there are smaller creatures out there, microscopic. Creatures you breathe in and out, that live inside you. What about those living things? If Jains have an answer for how to keep such tiny beings safe, I don’t know it.
Vegans hold beliefs which raise similar questions. For instance, the core tenet: eating animals and animal products is wrong, no matter what. But what about the yeast used in making vegan bread? Yeast is a living thing!
No, the living thing needs to have consciousness... Okay, but what is consciousness? How do we define it? And now we’re into a philosophical debate.
