Dave wrote:
> Martin Willett wrote:
>
>>ant and dec wrote:
>>
>>>Martin Willett wrote:
>>>
>>>
>>>>First published on http://mwillett.org/mind/eat-me.htm
>>>>posted by the author
>>>>
>>>
>>>A factually incorrect diatribe attempting to justify the consumption of
>>>meat.
>>>
>>>A troll.
>>
>>How do you make that out? It strikes me you simply haven't got an answer
>>to the points I made.
>>
>>I get accused of many things, writing stuff full of facts is rarely one
>>of them. What was incorrect?
>>
>>Do veg*ns never use the hypocrisy of eating meat and not wanting to be
>>eaten as a claim to a higher moral stance? Do you think I *couldn't*
>>find evidence of such an argument being deployed if I could be arsed to
>>do so?
>
>
> You probably could but "I don't eat meat in case it causes me to be
> eaten
> by an alien" is a misrepresentation of the argument.

I would say it was an instructive re-interpretation of the argument that
shows how truly fatuous the idea is. Veg*ns will often use the "how
would you like it if somebody ate you?" line of reasoning (well, they
think it's reasoning) without going on to flesh out the ramifications of
the argument. It is an argument by ellipses. You float the idea half
finished, let it trail in the air, and hope the other person will flesh
it out in a way that convinces them that you had a point.

Sorry about all the flesh in that paragraph, I can be such a meathead at
times.

So what does the argument actually mean? It is clearly not a recipe to
avoid being eaten by aliens as I have shown. Any carnivore would prefer
to eat a vegetarian rather than a carnivore if there was any preference
at all, and if they were the sort of sickos that got off on the idea of
eating sentient and intelligent beings they would probably prefer to eat
the upstanding morally superior vegan rather than the hypocrite who eats
bacon and tries not to think about pigs. I can conceive of no possible
scenario in which the alien would eat carnivorous people and invite
vegans around for an after dinner game of backgammon and a chat about
the moral superiority of not exploiting animals.

So if it is isn't about a defence mechanism against consumption by
aliens what is it? An invitation to eat your way to moral superiority?
"I can out-smug you, but you could join me on this high horse". Come on,
come clean.

First alien: This roast man is delicious. A vegan, I can tell. I love
the stuffing.

Second alien: Stuffing?

First alien: Yes, the nut stuffing, really tangy. What did you use to
stuff it? Nuts, mushrooms, onions a little garlic I think. I can see
sweetcorn, what else?

Second alien: I didn't have to stuff it. It wasn't empty.


--
Martin Willett


http://mwillett.org