Why shouldn't vegans eat oysters?
"And since it’s a fair bet that, lacking a central nervous system, oysters experience no more distress than plants when killed, what’s not to like?"
"Even the strictest food ethicist should have no qualms about sliding oysters down his gullet with abandon, a writer says. After all, oysters have no central nervous system, so pain isn’t much of an issue, and farming them makes all kinds of sense."
So why shouldn't vegans eat oysters? Are oysters vegan friendly?
More information and complete articles.
+New York Times Article
+Slate Article
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M$2 Answers
"veg·an (vgn, vjn)
n.
A vegetarian who eats plant products only, especially one who uses no products derived from animals, as fur or leather."
Since oysters are definitely animals and not plants, a vegan cannot remain a vegan while eating them.
Having said that, the author of the Slate article argues eloquently that while eating oysters stops him from being able to declare himself a vegan, the ethics underlying the arguments for veganism do not provide any ethical argument against eating oysters, or at least the 95% of oysters grown in oyster farms. Having read the argument, I cannot find fault with it.
Thus, I'd say that vegans cannot eat oysters and remain vegans, but if the moniker were changed to e.g. "ethical eaters" (would ethivores possibly work for that, or would that simply mean those who eat ethics :)) then oyster eaters who are otherwise vegan would have a new philological home.
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M$No, Vegans should not eat oysters. Bwa ha ha ha ha ha!
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M$
Why not? they are farmed like any other crop and no land is used or wasted in the production, feeding, or harvesting of this crop, a complete lack a central nervous system so no pain or discomfort or suffering to the bivalve.. what is the issue with oysters?
Why the dilemma with oysters?
I agree with Opher - Vegans (in my limited experience) kinda ram it down your throat that it's plants only. A oyster am not a plant. Him am a aminal. I am sure about that.
Cheers!
Vic
I'm with you on that one budda, which may make the term empty of meaning :(. If all of us eat ethically, but the ethics driving our diet differ, then perhaps ethivore is not a useful term after all, as it does not differentiate between people who eat differently.
I really like the term Ethivores ..I think it more accurately describes a style of diet that varies from individual to individual. All of the different strata of veganism or vegetarianism would be better described this way as each individual would be and is responsible to make their own decision on what is and is not ethical to eat. awesome new word.
I am a Ethivore.. we all are.
I just so happen to feel it is ethical to eat just about anything.
As with all things humanly slippery... "better not go there" could be taken as an admonishment to stay away from the marginally ok, or to not try to be ethical about what you eat and simply eat what you wish :).
In reality people's eating habits, like other aspects of values, are not closely tied to logical considerations.
It's unlikely that you, presumably a Western omnivore, would be happy eating free-range organic dog. And yet, would probably cheerfully eat free-range organic rabbit.
In other cultures of course it wouldn't be the same story.
As for oysters, I will just make an observation on human psychology...
People are rationalizing, self-justifying critters with slippery ethics. And that's just the best of us. :)
If they allow themselves edge cases like "it's ok to eat oysters" or "it's ok to eat road-kill" or "it's ok to eat wild salmon", it's usually the beginning of a downward spiral in their self-control and adherence to their values
Better not to go there in the first place.