A responsible attitude towards nature became widely recognized only in the second half of the 20th century and it is not universally embraced even today. However, the question is whether it is morally appropriate to use animals for food, clothing, and in vivo testing is being asked more and more often.
Environmental ethics, linked to the goal of conserving nature, don’t have clear answers. Various fields, including ecology, biology, medicine, and philosophy, are looking into this matter.
Bioethics is a central aspect of environmental ethics and examines our moral attitude toward nature. The ecological crisis raised more questions about our moral treatment of animals and made our society acknowledge its responsibility towards them.
Modern ethics advocating for animal rights backs the fundamental value of animals, urging for their inclusion in our moral considerations. Radical animal rights activists insist on extending moral rights to non-human beings. They call for vegetarianism.
Vegetarianism, as a radical departure from traditional norms of eating and using animal products, abstains from consuming it. There are different vegetarian diets, depending on environmental, ethical, and religious reasons. Some vegetarians consume only raw fruits and nuts, while others allow vegetables, greens, and cereals. The most numerous group accepts the consumption of milk and eggs. In general, this lifestyle avoids all by-products of animal slaughter, animal-derived products, and products tested on animals.
Animal rights activists consider vegetarianism the only diet that offers a morally justified and forward-thinking alternative to traditional diets in the current ecological challenges. Vegetarianism could be the only way to protect nature, reduce pollution, and preserve wild animal species.
