Should I become a vegetarian?

What merit is there in debating a teenager's choice of dinner?

"The point I was pitching at in my sleep-deprived state was that to not eat meat for some kind of moral or ethical issue is fine.. so long as you're not kidding yourself you're making a difference to the world."

<think globally, act locally>


"It's personal choice.. I don't see the merits in debating it."

A lot of the problem is the 'preach your piety' attitude that goes with these things (veggies/vegans being well-known for this) .

There are things I am very zealous about (food being one thing) , but am not evangelical. Whether you do as I do is your business, not mine.

Unless of course you are arrogant/ignorant and subsequently find yourself in an "I told you so" situation with me (oh dear ) ...

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<think globally, act locally>

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I concede that every action has it's equal and opposite but really, given the population explosion in urban China, and the increased meat consumption to truly "think globally" in a responsible manner would be to campaign for change.

As you say, zealots point to the good they're doing for the world... while disregarding the bad that makes their actions inconsequential.

I'm sure the OP is capable of making his own mind up whether it's beef or veggie lasagne for tea.

"I concede that every action has it's equal and opposite but really, given the population explosion in urban China, and the increased meat consumption to truly "think globally" in a responsible manner would be to campaign for change."

Much in life is an N variable problem.
You accept that by getting the best values for some variables, you will probably produce the worst for others. Trying to maximise the number/level of the best, and minimise the number/level of the worst, is all you can hope for.

Here is the online version of an issue of a trade publication I receive, that recently discussed numerous aspects of the notion of feeding mankind :

http://spectrum.ieee.org/magazine/2013/June


"As you say, zealots point to the good they're doing for the world... while disregarding the bad that makes their actions inconsequential."

Zealotry is about the manner/extent to which you do something.
You can be zealous without preaching your piety (if you try) .

Interesting read

"Malthus himself expressed some optimism that catastrophe could be avoided, emphasizing the possibility that population growth could be reduced if people delayed marriage and had fewer children. He also acknowledged the possibility of raising productivity but insisted that this avenue faced natural limits. But the evidence so far seems to suggest that it is not science that is the limiting factor but rather the willingness of society to understand and support the scientific endeavor."

So it will require no little amount of awareness campaigning and huge investment to meet demand in the near future.

Also interesting to note the suggestions for solving the global food "crisis" revolve around efficiency gains and potentially population control.. not personal choice.

The IEEE is the global professional science/engineering society (although subject to USA laws due to its origins - sadly ) .

When the Spectrum does stuff like this, they are presenting purely the science, and not making moral/value judgements therein.

Fair enough RDBD, never been an engineer but I appreciate a different perspective.

I sit firmly on the fence of vegetarianism, I have friends who haven't eaten meat for decades and to be honest it never enters conversation. It'd be like debating recycling habits.. while 15m tonnes of food is wasted in the UK every year.*

http://www.theguardian.com/business/2013/oct/21/uk-supermarkets-pressure-cut-food-waste

All these things seem to follow a similar pattern :

You can do your best as an individual, but the sum of your collective marginal gains can be (and often are) wiped out in one fell swoop by the poor antics of corporations/institutions.

But I will always continue to try to do my best (even though I want to slaughter the corporates for those antics) .

But I will always continue to try to do my best (even though I want to slaughter the corporates for those antics) .
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I guess that's all all of us can do