|
Souls can't really be quantified, so I think I'll leave that alone.
Some people are okay with eating animals (such as myself), and some aren't. Some of the animal eaters do so purely out of necessity, and some do so for pleasure. Some of the non-animal eaters do so out of protest against animal treatment, and others do so simply because they're uncomfortable. I don't think you'll find a definitive answer on whether or not it's wrong ethically, so you have to fall back to necessity. It's generally not necessary to eat meat to stay alive, but it's certainly helpful. Meats contain combinations of nutrients that are hard to find elsewhere, though it's not impossible. We developed as a species eating meat, among other things.
Why is cannibalism wrong? I don't think it's always wrong. If the survival of my family or friends depended on them cooking and ingesting my body after I die, I'd be okay with it. I might even have preparation suggestions (I think I'd be good slow-baked with a spiced cherry sauce or maybe braised with garlic, onion, bell pepper, ancho chilies, tomatoes, and spiced with cumin and cayenne). I'd be pretty pissed, though, if some guy hunted me, killed me, and then proceeded to eat me all for pleasure. It's about the intrinsic sanctity of life, the principle upon which laws and ethics against murder are based. Murder out of necessity is recognized almost universally as at least a gray area, or not totally wrong. Things like self defense and survival are taken into account. Killing for selfish or cruel reasons, however, is generally regarded as plain wrong.
|