On Mar 23, 7:52*am, George Plimpton > wrote:
> On 3/22/2012 11:31 PM, Rupert wrote:
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> > On Mar 23, 7:25 am, George > *wrote:
> >> On 3/22/2012 11:04 PM, Rupert wrote:
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> >>> On Mar 23, 6:55 am, George > * *wrote:
> >>>> On 3/22/2012 10:27 PM, Rupert wrote:
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> >>>>> On Mar 23, 2:33 am, George > * * *wrote:
> >>>>>> A typical "vegan" tries to argue "Why vegans are simply better people."http://forums.randi.org/showthread.php?t=226259
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> >>>>>> All "vegans" believe that. *Woopert is lying when he says he doesn't.
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> >>>>> What do you suppose would motivate me to lie about it?
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> >>>> Because you know that bragging that your character is better than that
> >>>> of others, particularly on such an inflammatory and contentious topic as
> >>>> not putting animal parts in your mouth, is going to generate a lot of
> >>>> well-founded criticism, and you don't want to have to defend yourself
> >>>> against the charge of placing yourself on a moral pedestal, so you just
> >>>> lie. *But you *do* think you're "simply better" than those who use
> >>>> animal products.
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> >>> You say that I am aware that the critcism would be "well-founded".
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> >> No, I say it is well-founded, and it would be, because bragging about
> >> being better, even if an objective case can be made that one is better,
> >> is still disparaged.
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> >> It doesn't matter if you know it would be well-founded or not. *You *do*
> >> know that the criticism would ensue, so to avoid it you lie and claim
> >> not to believe what you obviously *do* believe.
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> >>> If I know that the criticism would be well-founded, wouldn't this lead
> >>> me to critically re-examine the belief?
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> >> The criticism would be for the bragging, you stupid ****wit. *You know this.
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> >> The simple fact is, you do believe you're "better" than meat eaters
> >> based on what you don't put in your mouth.
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> > I don't really think, in general, it is meaningful to say that one
> > person is "better" than another. I'm with the followers of the school
> > of Rational Emotive Behavioural Therapy on this one. You can't
> > meaningfully compare two different people.
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> That's bullshit. *If I focus on one wrong behavior at a time - say,
> robbing liquor stores - and you commit the crime and I don't, then I am
> better than you in that one dimension - not in doubt.

Well, your behaviour is morally better in that dimension, yes, and I
never denied that. I've always agreed that I believe that, other
things equal, making some effort to reduce the amount of suffering
required to produce your food is morally better than not doing so.