Is fruitarianism more ethical than veganism?
- Thread starter Blobbenstein
- Start date
beancounter
The Fire That Burns Within
If you dig deep enough (no pun intended), you will eventually find that you have caused harm in some manner regardless of your dietary choice.
The issue is what is your personal cut off point for causing harm, and to what.
e.g. Do you care about causing harm to insects, microbes, fungi, the soil itself?
IMO, it is virtually impossible to avoid causing harm on some level, unless you are an air-atarian.
The issue is what is your personal cut off point for causing harm, and to what.
e.g. Do you care about causing harm to insects, microbes, fungi, the soil itself?
IMO, it is virtually impossible to avoid causing harm on some level, unless you are an air-atarian.
It would depend what you counted as ethical.
I personally have no ethics against digging up a potato or other vegetable. The potato was never conscious (unless it was Mr Potatohead) so I have no care of "killing" it. I guess if you look at the environmental side of things it's probably better in that way. Like Bean Counter said, there's a line and you will always cause harm no matter what. It's just a case of where you draw that line. I was under the impression that most fruitarians do this for health reasons not ethical. At least, the few I've met VB (or are there any on VV?) are that way.
Also now I'm craving fruit.
I personally have no ethics against digging up a potato or other vegetable. The potato was never conscious (unless it was Mr Potatohead) so I have no care of "killing" it. I guess if you look at the environmental side of things it's probably better in that way. Like Bean Counter said, there's a line and you will always cause harm no matter what. It's just a case of where you draw that line. I was under the impression that most fruitarians do this for health reasons not ethical. At least, the few I've met VB (or are there any on VV?) are that way.
Also now I'm craving fruit.
ledboots
Peace
My son, 20, eats mainly fruit, for complicated reasons. He is an ethical vegan, his own decision from childhood. He feels fruit is a natural and healthy food for humans, so that is what he eats most of. He also feels there is less death of insects and other wildlife from fruit growing and harvesting, and he cares about that a lot, too.
I don't think Son would say fruitarianism is "more" ethical than regular veganism, but he would say it feels right for him. And then flex a bicep at you.
I don't think Son would say fruitarianism is "more" ethical than regular veganism, but he would say it feels right for him. And then flex a bicep at you.
SummerRain
I dreamed that God would be forgiving.
Short answer: No.
Long answer: I don't believe it's unethical to kill plants, and I think when it comes to animal rights/welfare the indirect harm caused in harvesting fruit/etc is incredibly hard to measure. I think to do it justice, you'd need to actually see the methods of harvesting/growing/fertilizing/protecting/transporting the food you're buying individually to decide for each food. I don't think "digging up root vegetables hurts more animals than picking fruit" really cuts it - because when you get down to that level of indirect harm, every little decision can make an impact. I.e. what about the animals killed in transporting the food on the road? What about the animals that get trapped in nets to protect crops? What about the harm caused by pesticides to pests? Etc. All these questions can vary depending on who produces your food, and what food it is.
Also, if your considering ethicalness, you need to assume that all things are equal - which isn't a realistic idea. When applied to something quite clear cut with quite a big impact (eating animals vs not eating them, using animal products vs not using them) it works okay, but when you get down to the nitty gritty of indirect harm, I think other choices people make are so much more important in terms of ethicalness* than things like fruitarianism that I don't consider it a worthy ethical payoff - not until I perfect all the other areas of my life anyway. (Things like (for animals) do you volunteer with animals? work with animals? take part in outreach work? do you buy from companies that profit from animal cruelty/supermarkets/etc)
Long answer: I don't believe it's unethical to kill plants, and I think when it comes to animal rights/welfare the indirect harm caused in harvesting fruit/etc is incredibly hard to measure. I think to do it justice, you'd need to actually see the methods of harvesting/growing/fertilizing/protecting/transporting the food you're buying individually to decide for each food. I don't think "digging up root vegetables hurts more animals than picking fruit" really cuts it - because when you get down to that level of indirect harm, every little decision can make an impact. I.e. what about the animals killed in transporting the food on the road? What about the animals that get trapped in nets to protect crops? What about the harm caused by pesticides to pests? Etc. All these questions can vary depending on who produces your food, and what food it is.
Also, if your considering ethicalness, you need to assume that all things are equal - which isn't a realistic idea. When applied to something quite clear cut with quite a big impact (eating animals vs not eating them, using animal products vs not using them) it works okay, but when you get down to the nitty gritty of indirect harm, I think other choices people make are so much more important in terms of ethicalness* than things like fruitarianism that I don't consider it a worthy ethical payoff - not until I perfect all the other areas of my life anyway. (Things like (for animals) do you volunteer with animals? work with animals? take part in outreach work? do you buy from companies that profit from animal cruelty/supermarkets/etc)
I agree.
Personally I would like to eat more raw food for health reasons but I don't particularly see it as a more ethical choice. I would like to eat and use veganically grown food and crops and I hope they would become more widely available in the future.
SummerRain
I dreamed that God would be forgiving.
Is fruitarianism actually healthy? The only things I can find say "nutritionists" recommend fruitarian diets only for adults and only for a short period of time. One reference is from a BBC news article from 2001 about a baby who died of malnutrition and the other from "go ask alice" from a university website, a quote from the Guardian article here :
I couldn't really find anything more reliable.
I thought it was worth mentioning in the discussion.
I couldn't really find anything more reliable.
I thought it was worth mentioning in the discussion.
ledboots
Peace
"Fresh fruit appears to have low ability to promote decay and even citrus fruits have not been found to cause tooth decay (but may cause dental erosion, which we will cover in the next section). It's important for us all to know that the more fresh fruit we consume instead of free sugars is likely to have a positive impact in decreasing decay." - See more at: http://www.deardoctor.com/articles/nutrition-and-oral-health/page3.php#sthash.0T3rLIeR.dpuf
Is you son still Frutarian?My son, 20, eats mainly fruit, for complicated reasons. He is an ethical vegan, his own decision from childhood. He feels fruit is a natural and healthy food for humans, so that is what he eats most of. He also feels there is less death of insects and other wildlife from fruit growing and harvesting, and he cares about that a lot, too.
I don't think Son would say fruitarianism is "more" ethical than regular veganism, but he would say it feels right for him. And then flex a bicep at you.
Lou
Forum Legend
I do get a kick out when someone digs up an old thread.
I once nicknamed them Zombie threads.
I think asking Ledboots is going to be futile. She hasn't been on the forum for a really long time.
Chiming in - I didn't think fruitarian is more ethical. Unless there is something to SummerRains thought about indirect effects.
And SummerRain also brought up sustainability (for the Fruitarian).
