Were people intended to eat meat?

Answer 1

Answer

"Intended" implies that there is a reason for doing something, or that we do it because something decided we would. This is not the case, but it is a moot point.

Humans have developed with the ability to eat a hugely varied diet, which can and does include meats of all kinds. It does not have to include meat, but rather, it can when needed and when this is the better option. We cannot rely solely on meat, just as we are not absolutely able to rely on plants alone (i.e. only the plants available in the early human habitat).

In short, humans are omnivores: we eat what we can because it's easier than eating something else. This will sometimes mean eating meat, and hence we are suited to this task as well as any other.

Various claims are made to support the position that humans are not 'intended' to eat meat, and reasoning to support the opposing viewpoint is given for each.

Humans are not "meant" to eat meat.

A popular argument is that vegetarianism, "jibes with the laws of nature: Humans are not made for eating flesh that requires cooking before eating" (quotation from the Related Question below).

However, others argue that, if humans were not intended to eat meat, then we never would have started eating it.

There is no "law of nature" that says that humans are not meant to eat meat. If humans were not meant to eat meat, then we would never have begun eating it. It's really that simple. "Natural" means "existing in nature" or "constituted by nature." The fact that primitive human beings instinctively hunted for meat - without making a conscious, thought-out decision to do so, and without trying to rationalize meat-eating - means that eating meat is natural for humans.

Humans are not made for eating flesh that requires cooking before eating.

Humans did indeed eat meat before fire was invented. And we still eat uncooked flesh: sushi. Followers of the Raw Meat Diet (a subgroup of the Raw Food Diet) eat raw meat of all kinds: beef, fish, chicken, lamb, pork, etc., etc.

Human anatomy is not designed for eating meat, but for eating plant matter only.

Our bodies are biologically designed to eat meat. That is why we have incisor teeth, for cutting and tearing flesh.

Humans also require a complete range of proteins and enzymes to survive. Animal products -- not just meat, but dairy products and eggs -- have the complete range of proteins and enzymes that humans need.

Vegans (people who eat no animal products) have to put a lot of effort into getting the full range of proteins and enzymes. They have to mix certain plant products together, and many of these are not found in the areas where humans evolved from other hominids.

Moreover, the human intestine and digestive system cannot digest cellulose - in human dietary listings, normally known as fibre - in large quantities. Cellulose is the major component of many herbivores, yet if we are meant to be like them, why can we not do it too?

Humans do not like the sounds or appearance of killing animals and meat for consumption.

This is a generalisation; many have no difficulty with the wholesale slaughter of animals, as the labour force of the abattoir and the necessary laws against animal cruelty can attest. Nor do we have a problem with the sight of meat - many enjoy the look of a steak ready to be processed.

Killing animals for food is too cruel.

Other claims similar to this are that killing animals solely for food is cruel beyond necessity. If anything, it is the method of killing which may be criticised, not the act itself.

There are two counters to these: one is that if the animal was not intended for consumption it would never have been born and raised. The other stronger is that natural predators kill other animals every day. We've all seen lions and tigers hunting gazelle and antelope; the only difference is that we have learned to control our prey and kill it more efficiently.