Agriculture as Mutualism

Abstract

In this paper I explore the ethicality of using animals for agriculture by describing the views of two ethicists, Peter Singer and Roger Scruton. Singer holds a popular view among ethicists, namely that consuming animals is almost never permissible. Conversely, Scruton argues that it is in the best interest of animals that we continue to consume them. Both Singer and Scruton use utilitarian arguments to make their case, and both ethicists suggest an interpersonal course of action: the cessation or continuation of consuming meat respectively. I argue that both of their analyses fail to provide a satisfactory answer to the issue. I contend that the moral issues raised by consuming meat in the modern world are too large and too complicated to be properly addressed by individual dietary choices. What we must do, collectively, is take control of animal agriculture away from those who practice it unethically.