Should non-human animals be vegan?? Is it immoral for carnivores to eat animals?

Stephanie,

You wrote: “Why are you holding other species to human-invented standards, as if we are "better" than they are?”

I believe ‘“all breathing, existing, living, sentient creatures should not be slain, nor treated with violence, nor abused, nor tormented, nor driven away.” is a universal moral principle, not a ‘human-invented standard’. ‘Human-invented standard’ sounds like postmodernism (i.e. morals are relative, not absolute), and I know you don’t adhere to this.

But if we believe in an absolute moral, why would we think that this moral would follow arbitrary taxonomic concepts?

Why would we think that that a universal moral principle wouldn’t apply on some species that evolved to become carnivores? If humans would evolve to become carnivores, then suddenly the universal moral principle would be invalid just because of a change in DNA? Why would it??

You wrote: “That's one of the causes of domestication, trying to make other species into what we would have them be.”

The cause of domestication is violence – using violence to exploit and enslave other sentient beings. I am not advocating universal moral principles using violence. The cause of domestication is the use of violence, instead of love, compassion and nonviolence. I am not using violence towards anyone to act according to the above belief of nonviolence.The end doesn’t justify the means.

“and start doing things YOUR WAY.”

I argue what I believe is a universal principle of not inflicting harm upon others. I believe we are all consciousness. I think that claiming that the non-human animals don’t have any ethical standard to keep is underestimating who they are, their purpose, and that is focusing on their body and DNA instead of their spiritual consciousness.

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Cannibalism among the primates is a social behavior, as is eating other animal products. Gorillas and many vegan humans are leading the way – showing how to eat in an ethical way.

One quote: "The one historical constant in my field is that each time a claim of human uniqueness bites the dust, other claims quickly take its place. Meanwhile, science keeps chipping away at the wall that separates us from the other animals. We have moved from viewing animals as instinct-driven stimulus-response machines to seeing them as sophisticated decision makers. "

Another quote:
"Dale Peterson, one of the world’s leading chimpanzee researchers, once mentioned to me that he believes chimps given the opportunity to satisfy their hunger with plant sources may very well ponder the morality of eating other animals. Could they be evolving ethically, just as we humans are?"
From an interesting article: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887323869604578370574285382756.html

Another quote: ”Primatologist Jane Goodall became the first to describe such behavior when she witnesses a mother-daughter duo of chimpanzees kill and eat three chimpanzee infants in 1976 and since, it has been described by a number of other researchers. There are a number of possible explanations for such behavior. Due to human encroachment, food is becoming scarcer and more chimpanzees are being cramped into a smaller and smaller area which is a recipe for disaster. As this happens, different groups of primates will be forced into conflict with one another and are fighting territorial debates. Interestingly enough, a study of one group of chimpanzees found that only the aggressive females were involved in the cannibalism of chimpanzee infants. Male chimps were even spotted trying to separate the females from the infants, males that researchers believed to have fathered the infants in question which suggests that chimpanzees have more highly developed social and familial ties than once believed.”
[Related to this article: http://news.softpedia.com/news/Female-Chimps-Practice-Heavily-Infanticide-and-Cannibalism-54687.shtml ]

Who is doing the right thing??: The chimpanzee trying to save the baby, or the chimpanzee trying to kill the baby? Or does a moral universal principle not apply at all?? If so – why not?

Argument to vegans: Since primates eat a diet of animals, why shouldn't also humans do the same, since we are primates?

You wrote:" ...since we ourselves are primates. In a confused society, where "What should humans eat?" is a common question, doesn't it make sense to look at the diet of other similar animals, i.e. other primates?”

If this is the case: Since we ourselves are primates and live in a confused society, where ‘How do humans behave morally?’ is a common question, doesn’t it make sense to look at the moral behaviors of other primates?

Why don't we also look at other primates and emulate behaviors that are practiced by many primates, e.g. teach part of our society to emulate cannibalism, and stop fighting against human cannibalism? And among other primates this also occurs:
‘Males control females by physical violence and intimidation. Chimpanzees also engage in purposeful raids to kill members of other chimpanzee groups.’ And if we are going to eat what other primates eat, why don’t we advocate that some people in our society should be cannibals?
But no one in our society is arguing that we should emulate these behaviors, including emulating a diet which includes eating other humans.
Here are some examples of the primate behaviors that I referred to: http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/wondermonkey/2011/04/cannibalism---what-is-it-good.shtml
http://oyc.yale.edu/molecular-cellular-and-developmental-biology/mcdb-150/lecture-2
I rather learn from them and emulate what is good, e.g. the altruism, love and compassion they can and know how to display; and ignore to emulate what is bad and hurts other conscious beings.

I think we should dig inside instead, and apply, develop and enhance our sense of love, compassion, empathy and respect to all individuals regardless of whether they are consciousness in a human body, consciousness in a primate body, etc.