Conclusion: By abiding by utilitarianism, everyone should
become a vegetarian.
EP1: Vegetarian diet does not involve great sacrifices, not
in our health, nor in our capacity to feed the growing population, nor in the
pleasures of the palate. (333)
EP2: No matter how humane our original intentions, as long
as we continue to eat animals there is a danger of our sliding back into the
methods of treating animals in use today. (332)
IP1:
Eating animals, requires treating them inhumanely.
EP3: The basic principle of equality does not require equal
or identical treatment; it requires equal considerations. (329)
EP4: The principle that the interests of every being
affected by an action are to be taken into account and given the same weight as
the like interests of any other being. (328)
EP5: Utilitarianism, in its classical form, aims at
minimizing pain and maximizing pleasure.
Many nonhuman animals can experience pain and pleasure… In this respect
they are like humans and unlike rocks. (328)
IP2:
The pains and pleasures animals feel are no different from those of humans.
IP3:
Because humans and animals share these sensations, they deserve equal treatment.
EP6: Applying the principle of utility to our present
situation… leads us to the conclusion that we ought to be vegetarian. (325)
IP4:
By not eating animals, they can no longer be treated inhumanely.
