MacAskill - Effective reducetarianism.pdf
In Brian Kateman (ed.) The Reducetarian Solution: How the Surprisingly Simple Act of Reducing the Amount of Meat in Your Diet Can Transform Your Health and the Planet, 2017
Abstract
Industrial animal agriculture inflicts widespread suffering on sentient beings to achieve marginal economic efficiencies. While reducing the consumption of all animal products mitigates this harm, the ethical impact of dietary choices varies significantly depending on the species and the specific production methods involved. Factors such as the intensity of confinement, the duration of life spent in distress, and the total number of individual animals required to produce a specific caloric output determine the aggregate suffering associated with different food sources. Empirical data indicates that broiler chickens, layer hens, and pigs experience significantly lower welfare standards than beef or dairy cattle. Furthermore, because smaller animals like chickens and fish yield fewer calories per individual, their consumption results in a higher number of lives lost and more cumulative years of suffering per person. Applying the principles of effective altruism to dietary habits involves using evidence and reasoning to maximize the reduction of harm. Consequently, a strategic “reductarian” approach that prioritizes the elimination of chicken, eggs, and pork provides a higher moral return on effort than an undifferentiated reduction of all meats. For individuals not prepared to adopt a strictly vegetarian or vegan lifestyle, focusing on the most harmful products represents the most effective means of minimizing the negative impact of their diet. Promoting this selective reduction is a pragmatic and evidence-based strategy for achieving large-scale improvements in animal welfare. – AI-generated abstract.
