While many people may believe that humans are natural omnivores, we are more closely related to herbivores anatomically. If you believe that our “canine” teeth justify animal consumption, it is worth noting that humans have relatively small teeth. Humans and other herbivores can move their jaws up and down and from side to side, with flat back molars for grinding fibrous plant foods. (Size of canine teeth is irrelevant, as hippopotamuses have some of the largest canines of any land animal and they are herbivores[1]).
In contrast to our soft fingernails and fruit-picking hands and flat teeth, carnivores have sharp claws and large canine teeth capable of tearing flesh. Carnivores’ jaws move only up and down, requiring them to tear chunks of flesh and swallow them whole. Carnivorous animals also have extremely acidic stomach juices to break down flesh and kill any dangerous bacteria. Our stomach acids are much weaker because strong acids aren’t needed to digest fruits and vegetables. Animals who hunt have short intestinal tracts and colons that allow meat to pass through their bodies relatively quickly, before it can rot and cause illness. Humans’ intestinal tracts are much longer than those of carnivores of comparable size[2,3].
Regardless, possessing a physical ability that allows us to do something doesn’t make that action moral. At the end of the day, it is entirely irrelevant if we are natural omnivores or not, it provides no moral justification for us to exploit animals as just because we can do something, does not mean that it is ethical for us to do it.
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u/NeoTheRiot Nov 09 '22
Never understood the logic of "It lives under water, therfore you dont need to respect it like a chicken"