What's up with vegans?

[Wrekx]

In a hypothetical world where you can survive completely without animals and animal derived products:
- would it be moral to kill and eat an animal that doesn't want to be killed or eaten.
- would it dishonor your ancestors who fought and hunted for food to give up eating animals?
- we look at animals as a resource, is that the way we look at each other in this world?

[JonathanCrazyJ]

On your third point, I'd argue that 90% of the reason we view animals as a resource and (usually) people as not, is because bacon is tastier than insurance salesman.

[Coffeeditto]

On your third point, I'd argue that 90% of the reason we view animals as a resource and (usually) people as not, is because bacon is tastier than insurance salesman.

How do you know?

[Jenkar]

On your third point, I'd argue that 90% of the reason we view animals as a resource and (usually) people as not, is because bacon is tastier than insurance salesman.

That's only because you haven't eaten insurance salesmen.
Join the cannibals, we have cookies.

On your second point : no, absolutely not, why would you think that O.O

[CactusKing]

Technically you don't know the animal doesn't want to die. Although most creatures have survival instincts that doesn't mean they can't be suicidal, and you can't really ask a sheep if it wants to live.
The thing with vegans is the animal has already been killed. They aren't doing it any favours by not eating the animal or it's products.

[Aves]

@CactusKing
Theoretically, it means less demand, meaning less production of the product.

Point 1 depends on if you value the desires of non sentient beings.
Point 2 is silly, plain and simple.
Point 3 is worded ambiguously, you'll have to specify what you mean by 'look at as a resource.' Clearly, we don't generally look at people as food. But we do look for insurance from the insurance salesman.

[Mr Muffin]

The thing with vegans is the animal has already been killed. They aren't doing it any favours by not eating the animal or it's products.

(yay ninja'd) Yes and no. No because if enough people stop using animal products then people will make less animal products (supply and demand type thing) so a vegan is helping animals stay alive in the long term. Yes because yes it's not helping the dead animal. Thankfully there aren't enough vegans for people to stop making lots of animal products.

As for the original questions answered in a suffice manner:

-Totally.
-I don't see why.
-Depends.

Now for the more wordy version:

-I as a Christian believe God gave humans dominion over the Earth so the answer would be yes with other aspects being irrelevant.
-I don't see why.
-Depends because when one has a job the employer could be considered a resource and stuff like this. Also would probably depend on how selfish we are if we consider other people as resources or not.

[CactusKing]

...
Theoretically, it means less demand, meaning less production of the product.
...

Theoretically yes, but more likely they're just increasing the amount of food wastage. A quick google search show that 222 million tons of food is wasted by rich countries every year, so I don't think a small demographic not eating it has much effect on the mass production.

[Aves]

Food waste exists, sure, but I'm not sure how this is relevant. Food waste, which applies to all sources of food, animal-based or otherwise, and happens at all stages, from production to consumption, doesn't seem to apply to the question. The question here is not whether veganism will reduce food waste, but if it will reduce animal-based food production.

[CactusKing]

My point is that meat production will more or less stay the same, vegans just decrease the amount that gets eaten.

[Aves]

Alright, fair point. I think our disagreement is just a matter of scale, then. One extra vegan won't make a difference. A billion of them will, however.

[laarry]

My point is that meat production will more or less stay the same, vegans just decrease the amount that gets eaten.

Decreasing the amount that get's eaten lessens the production :/