We've got canine teeth
And they're made to eat animals
Those who argue in favour of eating meat will often point to their canine teeth as conclusive proof that we should be doing so. I think people latch onto this idea partly due to the carnivorous sound of the word 'canine' rather than anything based in genuine physiology or the way they actually look. Plenty of herbivorous animals have canine teeth, and the largest in the world are planted firmly in the mouth of a herbivore - the hippopotamus.
Many omnivorous animals whose 'meat' part of their diet is little more than a few insects also have canine teeth despite never needing to tear into animal flesh, and when we compare our teeth with the teeth of animals who really do eat lots of meat it's easy to see how incredibly different they really are.
In reality, our canine teeth are great for biting into tricky harder foods like apples or nuts but are of little use for anything else. If you believe human canines were designed for tearing flesh to pieces, the next time you're faced with a whole chicken carcass or a Christmas ham ask yourself what difference our small canines actually make when trying to tear the flesh from them directly - or if using a knife and fork to cut small, chewable pieces might be the wiser option.
Many omnivorous animals whose 'meat' part of their diet is little more than a few insects also have canine teeth despite never needing to tear into animal flesh, and when we compare our teeth with the teeth of animals who really do eat lots of meat it's easy to see how incredibly different they really are.
In reality, our canine teeth are great for biting into tricky harder foods like apples or nuts but are of little use for anything else. If you believe human canines were designed for tearing flesh to pieces, the next time you're faced with a whole chicken carcass or a Christmas ham ask yourself what difference our small canines actually make when trying to tear the flesh from them directly - or if using a knife and fork to cut small, chewable pieces might be the wiser option.
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Whether you believe our canines justify what we do to animals or not there is another important point to consider here. Does having the ability to do something that causes immense harm (the deaths of billions of animals) make it morally acceptable to do so? We don't need to eat meat (or any animal product) to be healthy and thrive and in doing so we cause the needless suffering and death of others.
So whatever of the shape of a couple of our teeth - why do it? Why willingly contribute to suffering and violence that is 100% unnecessary? Having the ability or physical attributes to perform a particular action
doesn't automatically make that action ethical. The human fist is generally considered our greatest natural weapon - does that make it moral to punch people at will? Our advanced brains have created some of the
most terrifying and destructive weapons on earth but using them isn't automatically ethical just because we
have the ability to do so.
So instead of relying upon flimsy comparisons between a couple of our small, slightly pointed teeth and the flesh-ripping tools of lions and bears why not consider the bigger picture - the consequences of our actions
upon others - and just choose compassion instead.
So whatever of the shape of a couple of our teeth - why do it? Why willingly contribute to suffering and violence that is 100% unnecessary? Having the ability or physical attributes to perform a particular action
doesn't automatically make that action ethical. The human fist is generally considered our greatest natural weapon - does that make it moral to punch people at will? Our advanced brains have created some of the
most terrifying and destructive weapons on earth but using them isn't automatically ethical just because we
have the ability to do so.
So instead of relying upon flimsy comparisons between a couple of our small, slightly pointed teeth and the flesh-ripping tools of lions and bears why not consider the bigger picture - the consequences of our actions
upon others - and just choose compassion instead.
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- Herbivores with Canine Teeth -
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Hippo |
Camel |
Gorilla |
Fruit Bat |
Gelada Baboon |
Musk Deer |
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- Some comparative anatomy, including teeth -
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"It is just like man's vanity and impertinence to call an
animal dumb because it is dumb to his dull perceptions."
Mark Twain
animal dumb because it is dumb to his dull perceptions."
Mark Twain
