From what I can gather, much of the moral claim for veg*nism is based on the idea that animals have a consciousness. This is why it is ok for veg*ns to eat plants but not animals even though they are both living things.
If we take the materialist/physicalist view, we believe that all things are made up of one type of substance - that is a physical substance. And there are really no separate non-physical entities called "minds"; if this is the case, then plants and animals are really no different in regards to their physical make up.
So my question is : veg*n materialists - how do you reconcile these views?
Note: If you are a dualist and believe that "minds" are somehow a different type of substance, then this does not apply here.
If we take the materialist/physicalist view, we believe that all things are made up of one type of substance - that is a physical substance. And there are really no separate non-physical entities called "minds"; if this is the case, then plants and animals are really no different in regards to their physical make up.
So my question is : veg*n materialists - how do you reconcile these views?
Note: If you are a dualist and believe that "minds" are somehow a different type of substance, then this does not apply here.