On the threshold argument against consumer meat purchases

Abstract

The article examines whether or not individual consumer meat purchases will increase the number of animals bred for slaughter on factory farms. Some vegetarians claim that individuals who buy meat from grocery stores encourage and sustain meat factories, possibly causing more animals to be killed than if they refrained from purchasing meat. This argument is defined by the author as “the threshold argument.” While the argument is not entirely theoretically sound, it is relevant as an argument about decision making under conditions of uncertainty.