This is a
two-page article, so make sure you read both of them.
Is
capitalism ruining our relationship to what we eat, as Marder contends? Are plants “intelligent”? Do they have “souls”? Is how one eats more important than what one
eats? How can we eat ethically? How can we eat with respect?
Are we killing plants, because we are selfish?
ReplyDeletePeople nowadays are divided into, I would say, four groups. First group are vegans, people on extreme diet, not eating any dairy products, meat or anything that can be produced by an animal. Second group are vegetarians, which in general aren’t eating any meat for various reasons. Third group are people, who just don’t care. They need a fuel in their body, so they eat whatever, that can be burned and changed into energy in their body. Fourth group are people, who are selecting what they are eating, in a way, what is, and what is not “healthy” for them. “Healthy”, according to their knowledge, from various sources. I’m pretty sure there are many other small groups, having diets, and knowing what is best for them. But what do all of the four groups have in common? They eat PLANTS! Without carrying about them. “Oh, veggie? That’s healthy; low amount of calories, a lot of vitamins. Perfect for me!” But aren’t plants living things, as are we?
First, we are torturing plants with changing their DNA, planting them in cellars, and using them disrespectfully. Just as the articles mentions, corporations want profits. They are just fine, with wasting living things – plants, because they aren’t colorful enough to be sold. Or they aren’t attractive enough, for customers to buy them. SO why not just kill them? We can grow more of them, by changing their DNA, so they are going to be just “perfect” for people. We should stop supporting them by buying their artificial plants.
Second, “we can nourish ourselves on some of their (plant’s) parts, such as fruits, without killing the entire organism”, article says. I agree with this, but that’s what we are doing aren’t we? I’m sure we aren’t eating leaves of a tree or its stump. So how are we killing them? BUILDING USELESS BUILDINGS! People are forgetting the fact, that plants are the ones producing oxygen for us to breathe. Not they new office buildings, causing deforestations. “Many of our so-called moral choices are false”, which is absolutely true. We are defending our-selves with arguments, which even we can’t believe are true. Do we really need to build in forest? Do we need that many shopping centers? As Michael Marder said, there is plenty of space, without plants, where it can be build.
For conclusion, people are selfish. Thinking mainly about their profits, and also their health. Not about value of other living things such as plants. Micheal Marder gives a perfect advice to people: “grow not against, but together with the environment, including other human beings, animals and plants.” I’m personally, not against eating plants, veggie or fruits. I’m against disrespecting their rights to live and grow without being damaged by humans. We should appreciate them and take care of them as best as we can.
Sandra Karabelli, 3A
First of all, I need to clarify several things, plants as living organisms surely are something to be valued, but these plants on agricultural bases are grown to serve people. In natural hierarchical order, the strongest species has the fundamental right to use the weaker in a way that it is most convenient. I am not suggesting that we should treat nature nihilistically, the point I am trying to make is that by restricting ourselves from altering plant growing in order “to make plants life easier” is not only absolutely useless but also missing any logical proof. What I consider the biggest problem in Sandras analysis is the missing link, there are no certain causalities and mechanical steps, which would favour her very radical statements. However, the part about deforestation is very accurate and socially popular problem to be tackled. On the other hand it seems to me, that the importance of global economy burst was somehow forgotten when evaluating human well being. It majorly correlates with peoples hunger for financial profit, but this hunger is totally understandable, because without money there is not even left any space for ecological thinking. Therefore, I believe that in order to become earth loving creatures people need to stabilise the economy first. This thought is vastly supported by Kuznets Curve which suggests correlation between economical and ecological development. To conclude people need to grow into the realisation of the importance of nature and coexistence with plants and also I support the utilitarian calculation, that with slight modification of plants we can feed more people more effectively.
DeleteI agree with that we shouldn't kill the whole plant if we just want to eat the fruit, but there are simply plant that live only just one year, and when we collect its fruits it dies soon after, then we eat the fruit and can plant the seeds so new plant grows. It is the cycle of live, we just take advantage of that the fruit is eatable, because it is not important for the reproduction and life of the plant.
ReplyDeleteAlso I agree with the idea of treating the plants nicely while they live, they are just like pets with a benefit of growing food you water it you put it on window so that it has enough light and even you may play music to it. As the mythbusters proved that some kinds of music, like metal, make plants grow faster, but also talking to the plant makes "feel better" so it grows more. So the plants somehow feel how you treat them and they show it the way they can, which means that they are intelligent in their own way.
However, reading about ethical eating of plants is something new for me. I always see articles in various magazines about the controversy of eating meat but not plants. I don't understand people who became vegetarians because they think that killing animals is unethical and when one says that this is the reason, I ask them if they find out that the plants she/he eats from are not treated well they would stop eating also plants?Somebody actually told me that they would. Well, then they would have nothing to eat, but that's not my problem as I eat whatever I want.
I think that we should treat plants well but only because of the practical reasons like that plants which are treated well are healthier and better, not because of some spiritual reason like that plants are alive too. I do not agree with the idea that plants are "just like pets". The difference between animals and plants is that animals can think, feel and they can be hurt. On the other hand plants cannot do any of those things. The problem is that Tete thinks that plants have some kind of soul, but this idea is not supported by the real scientific evidence. The only evidence of hers was that some TV show "proved" that plants grow faster when you play music to them. Even if the plants grew faster because of the music it does not prove anything. I can imagine that some kind of sound waves could help the plant's growth because of some biological reasons but it does not prove the idea that plants "are intelligent in their own way". Tete is right that we should treat plants well but of the wrong reason. It is not the question of ethics it is question of practicality.
DeleteFirst of all, I do not really understand Tereza's connection between killing the whole plant when we want to eat only fruit, and plants which live only for one year. In my opinion, people should know what they are going to eat. For instance, I want to make an apple juice, so there would be no point in tearing apples with leaves. No matter whether the apple tree lives for one year or hundred years.
DeleteSecondly, I am not familiar with the idea of treating the plants nicely, and playing music to them. I am not saying it is a stupid idea or a useless act, however, I cannot imagine walking through my house, petting the plants and talking to them. Moreover, I do not agree with Tereza's statement that plants are like pets. There is a pretty big difference between plants and animals. I am sure that while touching an animal, you can feel at least warmth or beating of its hearth. You can feel life in those pets and you will be probably given somkind of response. On the contrary, while petting plants you cannot feel anything from named things. The only thing you can see is "the colour of life".
Another point, which is pretty important about this article, and Tereza agreed, is the question of intelligence of plants. Philosopher Michael Marder said: "Plants are ‘intelligent’ which is why we need to eat them with respect." I think intelligence is something connected with the brain and learning. As far as I know, plants do not have a brain. Plants are allowed to do a variety of functions, but no function says about thinking or learning or developing in a way of intelligence. Of course it is nice to eat plants with respect, but in my opinion we should be thankful for any kind of food, no matter wheter we eat salad or hamburger.
To sum it up, plants are not humans, and it is about YOUR intelligence how you will behave.