Best Defense Against Carnistic Red Herring that Vegans Harm Plants

Question

One of the most common objections to veganism made by people who subscribe to carnism is that vegans harm plants, or that plants feel pain. This commits the logical fallacy known as a "red herring." The tactic is used effectively to throw vegans in the debate off guard, who then expend great effort in forming a reply. However, I think vegans make this task far more difficult than it needs to be, by focusing on ethics rather than biology.

Herbivores are not made up of plant cells that can perform photosynthesis to produce food from sunlight, carbon dioxide, and water. Therefore, herbivores, by nature, are designed to eat plants, and must do so to live. So, it is not unethical for herbivores to eat plants. Since humans are herbivores, it is therefore not unethical for humans to subsist on a fully plant-based diet, regardless of whether or not plants feel pain. By the way, feeding crops to livestock consumes far more plant life than feeding crops directly to humans.

Then the argument becomes whether or not humans are herbivores, which I believe the overwhelming majority of evidence suggests that we are.

That's my take on the idea that vegans harm plants, or that plants feel pain. What is your take on it?

UniversalSaint · Answer

My argument is that fruits and vegetables are offering themselves to us, just like flowers attract bees. The fruit is there, if we don’t eat it, it rots away anyway. We do not cause any harm to any plants. Ask any horticultural what happens when you harvest the fruits, the plant is stimulated to produce more, it’s a gift that just keeps giving.

edwinnaicipevaca · Answer

Las plantas no son nerviosamente sensibles... una objeción consciente al consumo de plantas es ilógica además una superpoblación urbana es más posiblemente alimentarla desde la perspectiva decididamente  vegana...

VeganBunnyPawrent · Answer

Plants have no nervous system!🥰

dmj · Answer

We have to get energy from somewhere or we die.  We can't get it from the sun, geothermal sources, or radioactivity.  So what's left?  Plants and animals.  Which causes the least harm?  Clearly the plants.

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