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Metaphysics – Materialism Only – Unforeseen Consequence
Metaphysics is the philosophical branch that deals with the question of reality. Simply, what is real?
- Theists believe in “Immaterialism” or “Idealism” which is defined by reality consisting of both the material world (i.e., the physical world of the five senses), and immaterial world which we would call “Spiritual.” Christians and Theists hold this as revealed truth and even epistemic truth.
- Atheists are not all in one camp, although those who are not solely materialists would not call the immaterial word “spiritual”. For those atheists who are “Materialists” or “Realists”, then only the physical world is real (truth is derived only from the five senses – empiricism). This is why they operate as a presupposition the impossibility of miracles or God.
If the only reality is materialism, that leads to two opposing positions of atheists concerning eating meat.
- Humans eating animal flesh is unethical since all animals are sentient beings including human animals. The observable truth is that we are nothing more than a more highly evolved animal although we have escaped animalistic tendencies. Unevolved non-human animals still eat non-human and human animals.
- Humans eating animal flesh is ethical since evolution is the process wherein the strongest and fittest survives; plus, evolutionary changes have made some animals – including human animals – as meat-eaters.
I suggest to you that either position can lead logically to extremes:
- If the first position is right, then vegetarianism or even veganism is the correct practice and logical choice. Such conclusion is displayed in the iconic vegan slogan “Meat Is Murder”. Meat production is unethical slaughter rather than just food.
- If the second position is right, and human animals can eat other animals, then why isn’t it right for humans to consume other humans? This is the type of argument called, reductio absurdum. That doesn’t make the argument invalid, because the absurdity is found in following the logic to its absurd conclusion.
There are, of course, some provisos:
- There is no objective standard of morality.
- Each society, group, or individual creates its own standard of morality.
- Humans are animals and only made of flesh as are all animals.
Let’s put this in a syllogism:
- P1 – If an ethical system states that there is no ontological difference between human animals and non-human animals.
- P2 – And in that ethical system it is ethical for non-human animals to eat other non-human animals.
- C – Then in that ethical system it is ethical for human animals to eat other human animals.
If you test this syllogism, you might get the following response:
This argument is logically invalid due to an equivocation fallacy and a non sequitur, despite appearing to follow a premise-conclusion structure. It falsely equates “being animals” biologically with sharing identical behaviors, ignoring context, moral agency, and the leap from “can” (possibility) to ethical permissibility.
Even if someone states the syllogism is not valid based upon a presupposition that not all actions of animals are ethical for humans, we again must ask, “Based upon who’s ethical system?” If a society deems it is ethical to consume human flesh, and there is no objective standard of reality, then who is to say one society’s ethics is more ethical than another society’s?
In fact, there are tribes of people within history, and even today, where cannibalism is not taboo. Not considering practical arguments against cannibalism such as disease, we are not making the case against such on a practical basis.
So, if materialism is the only reality, and humans are just evolved animals, is it morally evil to eat humans? According to research on this topic, many atheists were willing to be consistent and conclude there is no moral reason why cannibalism is unethical.
God has a different conclusion wherein He condemns physical cannibalism by saying spiritual cannibalism is sinful – “But if you bite and devour one another, watch out, our you will be consumed by one another” (Galatians 5:15).
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