It only takes a little imagination to suppose that every bite of hamburger we eat is taking grain away from a hungry child in India. For an explanation of this feature, click on “Moral Vegetarianism” at the bottom of this post. The Argument from Human Grain Shortage All of the clearly moral arguments for vegetarianism given so far have been in terms of animal rights and suffering. New moral vegetarianism, however, rests on moral arguments couched in terms of human welfare. MORE

As such, most people do not consider the potential abuse that may have taken place to bring their hamburger onto their dinner plate. This is really interesting. How many people know this about the Animal Welfare Act? I certainly didn't. No wonder there is so much "farm" animal abuse out there. The only cool thing is that Gene Bauer's views on the meat industry are so similar to those expressed on this blog a few weeks ago. Yay!!!) MORE

31): Would the average American have believed that hamburgers were treated with ammonia to remove salmonella and E. labor costs and saving the lives of hamburger lovers. 1, 2010 Note from KBJ: Enjoy your hamburger To the Editor: “ Company’s Record on Treatment of Beef Is Called Into Question ” (front page, Dec. coli (or, in many cases, not remove them)? An earlier article recounted an E. MORE

It doesn’t take much for them to learn that we need them to find human scent –and not other animals, dropped hamburgers, or unspecified gook. I recently got a chance to read a book called Scent of the Missing: Love and Partnership with a Search-and-Rescue Dog. Wow, and wow. The book is an amazing and heartfelt look at the unique partnership and bond that search and rescue dogs have with their handlers. A very interesting, touching, at times funny, and overall a great read. MORE

And let me just say that on the occasions that I have bought bottled water, such as in airports because I couldn't bring my own, I felt nearly as bad as if I bought a hamburger. I watched Flow last night and though I did know about the evils of water privatization in other countries, I had no idea that communities (Michigan is featured) right here in the US are fighting huge multi-nationals for their own water. MORE

Moore looks like he has eaten one too many hamburgers.) The wrongness of factory farming is overdetermined. See here for one sufficient ground. By the way, the editorial board of the New York Times is progressive (as opposed to conservative). Why does it not call for the abolition of factory farming? Instead, it seeks to reform it. Animal rights is neither progressive nor conservative. MORE

We encourage kids to gently pet baby lambs, cows, chickens and pigs, but we deny them this loving connection when we serve animals for dinner by surreptitiously calling them chops, hamburger, nuggets and bacon. To the Editor: Re “ PETA’s Latest Tactic: $1 Million for Fake Meat ” (news article, April 21): The commercial development of meat from animal tissue won’t result in “fake meat” any more than cloning sheep results in fake sheep. MORE

Of course, when hamburgers aren't at stake, most of us think that it would be morally wrong to kill an animal for no good reason. Jonathan Hubbell, a philosophy major at the University of Texas at Arlington, is the newest member of the Animal Ethics blog, and once again, I would like to welcome him aboard. Like Keith, I think it will be interesting and instructive to observe as Jonathan works through his views on the myriad of ethical issues that surround our current treatment of animals. MORE

o If you feed a 20lb dog one ounce of cheddar cheese it’s the equivalent of a 5’4” woman eating one and a half hamburgers or one chocolate bar. o If you feed a 10lb cat 1 cup of milk it’s the equivalent of a 5’4” woman eating four and a half hamburgers or five chocolate bars. Is your dog overweight? You can join Alison Sweeney, host of The Biggest Loser , in making a New Year’s resolution to help your dog(s) lose weight by taking the Hill’s PetFit Challenge. MORE

What would the cost of a hamburger at Burger King or McDonald’s be if the meat were to come from Ms. To the Editor: Re “ The Carnivore’s Dilemma ,” by Nicolette Hahn Niman (Op-Ed, Oct. 31): Living “green” is not easy. Yes, every decision we make results in more or less of an impact on our environment. As a parent of young children, I have much to worry about regarding what my children eat—a balanced, wholesome diet, free from antibiotics, hormones or bacteria. MORE

coli and the young woman whose future has been irreversibly altered through the simple, all-American act of eating a hamburger is a stunning indictment of the food-processing industry in general and the specifically named corporations whose moral bankruptcy is made all the more glaring by their efforts to justify their actions behind a curtain of claims of trade confidentiality. 5, 2009 To the Editor: I ate my last hamburger last night. MORE

Think of the difference between eating a hamburger and eating a veggie burger, for example. The sum of the matter is as follows. Either the vegetarian argues on utilitarian premises, or he tries to supplement or replace his utilitarianism with some plausible non-utilitarian principles implying the wrongfulness of rearing and killing animals for food. MORE