A Book For Your To-Read List; and, Should the World Go Vegan?

Authors Temple Grandin and Catherine Johnson discuss how "we can treat animals better if we consider the emotions that motivate them" in their new book Animals Make Us Human. The book argues, among other things, for more humane treatment of animals in slaughterhouses.

I have not read the book yet, but I did want to address something a reviewer on Amazon.com said. According to this person the book is merely "Glorified Hypocracy" because while "Grandin's 'systems' may improve the overall slaughtering process for the companies that hire her expertise [...] there is [still] no rational 'reason' to continue to do such. In fact, given all the information known to us - eating meat is one of the most illogical, self-destructive (and cruel) things one can do... Go Vegan."

As a vegetarian-in-training myself (I'm new to the lifestyle), I understand the point being made. However, I disagree with it. Grandin's book is a step forward. Someday perhaps, meat eating will be replaced by plant and synthetic food options - but until then, people are going to eat meat. I have several meat eaters in my house: there's no way they're going vegetarian, let alone vegan. Right now, it'd be near impossible to shut down slaughterhouses - people love their burgers and fries, their steaks. Therefore, the least we can do is find an approach that is more humane.

What do you think? Can (and should) we obliterate meat eating? Should the whole world go vegan and/or vegetarian?

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