> What's wrong with killing animals for food?
Nothing per se; if i were a hunter gatherer who'd never contemplated any philosophical questions and lived a base life out in the woods, i'd be there setting traps for ickle wabbits, and throwing spears at Bambi, in order to maintain basic survival. However, if, living as i do, i make the choice to return to eating meat, i'm buying into a hideously barbaric, environmentally unsound industry. I'm also betraying my conscience, which has been shaped by contemporary education, in sympathising with another creatures pain as my own; it's basically anthropomorphism.
However, this perplexes me somewhat, that we in the so called 'developed' world can own pets and treat them sometimes better than we treat human beings, yet think nothing of slapping a piece of overly processed meat on our plates and consuming the flesh of an animal just as intelligent (perhaps more so) as little fido sat at our feet.
The sticking point, i find, is thinking of the vast quantities of people in this world who have no choice but to eat meat, or for whom, meat eating is a ritual part of their lives (e.g. those living in remote, tribal areas of the world) I've always thought that a greater sort of spiritual intelligence existed amongst those people living closer to nature; how can a veggie condemn them? But, of course, they're not participating in intensive farming, or breeding unnatural species for mass sale on supermarket shelves. And of course, out there, the animal becomes something to be respected for providing food ... it's simple survival.
But, folks like you and me have a choice, and live in a world surrounded by issues that tribal humans do not have to contemplate. You ought to go veggie for three reasons:
1) It's morally sound
2) It's environmentally sound
3) It's better for your health
> Why is pulling a carrot out of the ground, or plucking an apple from a
> tree ok?
Because they evolved to be tempting to animals so they'd eat the fruit and spread seeds to help that particular species of plant survive. There is no moral problem with eating fruit and veg, because (as someone pointed out) seeds don't feel pain. However, the environmental problems with eating fruit and veg are well known; the pesticides, quantities of water and land, and the fuel used in getting them to us are literally destroying the planet.
Also, we no longer do as bears do and shit in the woods. So effectively we no longer spread the seeds of plants as nature intended. However, what might be a better idea is saving your apple core and throwing that to the ground on your country walk, rather than squatting by the side of bush and being arrested for public indecency ... just a thought.
I'm sure we can continue to consume fruit and veg without a guilty conscience; just try and buy seasonal, local produce.
If you want to read a good book on the issues of vegetarianism, (and i've plugged this one before) 'The Pig Who Sang To The Moon' puts forth a very reasoned argument, avoids being too preachy and points out issues that many of us have probably never considered.