Salami Tell You About Steiner “Animal, Vegetable, Miserable” is an op-ed guest column published in the New York Times in 2009, written by Gary Steiner. Steiner is a philosophy professor at Bucknell University who has published other animal rights books including Anthropocentrism and Its Discontents and Animals and the Moral Community. He attempts to open the minds of the readers to learn about their “normal” behavior. Things such as eating meat, going to zoos, or even enjoying circuses are what Steiner wants people to reconsider for their own behavior. Steiner states, “We should reevaluate the ideas we have inherited from Western philosophy that human animals are morally superior to non-humans” (“Gary Steiner”). But through invalid arguments
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There are many reasons as to why people convert to being a vegan or vegetarian; unfortunately, he doesn’t use very persuasive arguments. Many become vegetarians due to health reasons, which Steiner never brought up in the paper. He could have supported his ideas much better than how he did. For example, Steiner says, “[People] argue that because animals are incapable of abstract thought, they are imprisoned in an eternal present, have no sense of extended future, and hence cannot be said to have an interest in continued existence.” (par. 5). He could have argued this statement by using hibernation as an example, saying that animals could have a sense of extended future because they prepare for winter. However, he instead referred to a story with a lack of detail and then made immediate and irrational assumptions. Steiner had a habit of referring to non-vegetarian/vegans as lesser people or calling them unintelligent. Steiner asks, “how can people continue to eat meat when they become aware that nearly 53 billion land animals are slaughtered every year for human consumption?” (par 10). He then claims that the people don’t care about the animals, that if they did care they would learn more about the ways that our society abuses animals and become vegans. Many people who care about animals are not vegans;I know several veterinarians that are definitely not vegetarians, does that mean that they don’t care
There are many reasons as to why people convert to being a vegan or vegetarian; unfortunately, he doesn’t use very persuasive arguments. Many become vegetarians due to health reasons, which Steiner never brought up in the paper. He could have supported his ideas much better than how he did. For example, Steiner says, “[People] argue that because animals are incapable of abstract thought, they are imprisoned in an eternal present, have no sense of extended future, and hence cannot be said to have an interest in continued existence.” (par. 5). He could have argued this statement by using hibernation as an example, saying that animals could have a sense of extended future because they prepare for winter. However, he instead referred to a story with a lack of detail and then made immediate and irrational assumptions. Steiner had a habit of referring to non-vegetarian/vegans as lesser people or calling them unintelligent. Steiner asks, “how can people continue to eat meat when they become aware that nearly 53 billion land animals are slaughtered every year for human consumption?” (par 10). He then claims that the people don’t care about the animals, that if they did care they would learn more about the ways that our society abuses animals and become vegans. Many people who care about animals are not vegans;I know several veterinarians that are definitely not vegetarians, does that mean that they don’t care