02.22.10: An Animals Place

I found Michael Pollan’s article “An Animal’s Place” very intriguing. He gave the idea of not eating meat or using animal products through an investigation and allowed the reader to come to their own conclusion.

He first started his article by explaining Peter Singers’ viewpoints in Animal Liberation. Singer argues that as humans we have a moral obligation for the rights as animals. Pollan goes on to say that philosophers, ethicists, law professors and activists are convinced that as humans need to treat animals as we treat ourselves. He even found a poll that claims that 51% of Americans believe that primates are entitled to the same rights as human children.

Our current society is inflicting more suffering on animals due to the increase in factory farms and slaughterhouses. We have disconnected with the animals we eat and use for experiment. How many of us actually know where our food comes from and how it is processed? Pollan’s view is that everyone would be a vegetarian if they visited a capitalist slaughterhouse.

The arguments that Pollan came up with are:
“Animals kill animals all the time. Why treat animals more ethically than they treat one another?” – Humans don’t need to kill other creatures in order to survive.

“Animals on factory farms do not know any other life.” – True but their suffering is the daily frustration of having their instincts controlled.

“Do animals feel pain?” – It’s argued that their pain is different than ours. What is really needed is the distinction between pain and suffering. Human and animals feel pain but do animals feel suffering?
Chickens cannibalize on one another when stuffed into cages; pigs chew each other’s tails off. These animals do not do this when raised in a natural setting.

So I understand that by looking at the way we raise and butcher our meat can determine how I feel about animal rights or as Pollen suggest “animal welfare”.

Pollan also took the extra step and found a small farm that raises its’ animals that way it was done before factory farming. Pigs are outdoors; chickens are in coops that release to the cattle grazed fields to forge for bugs. They slaughter their own chickens. They would slaughter their own pigs and cattle if the USDA would allow it. He looks after his animals, feeds them, cares for them and in return they provide eggs, mild and meat. Isn’t this how humans and animals have evolved?

I have found Pollan’s writing to be very effective in giving both either side of the spectrum on the views regarding animal rights. His arguments flow smoothly with his point of view backed up with research, experience and humor. His closing paragraph summed up the article with good advice. Maybe we should eat less meat and “with consciousness, ceremony and the respect they deserve.”