By Gene Sager, Palomar College
A colleague of mine, a philosophy professor, sat me down to listen to an allegory which he said sheds a great deal of light on the vegan way of life. Since the time of Plato, allegories have been used to convey insights about important issues and problems.
This allegory begins with a massive number of extraterrestrials arriving on the earth. Since these ETs are more intelligent than humans and have far superior technology, they easily take control of the planet and suppress the human population.
The invaders sample the various foods and resources available on the earth and, unfortunately, the aliens develop a taste for human flesh. What is more, they begin to consume “human products,” considering them richer and more nutritious, even though the aliens do not need human flesh or milk for their physical health.
A delicacy for the ruling class is the soft, pink flesh of 18 week old humans who are separated from their mothers at birth and confined singly in small stables so their flesh is tender. Human females are subjected to intense control so that their breeding and lactation suits the perceived needs of the aliens. Women are forced to endure the breast vacuum machines every day. Human skin is the preferred upholstery material, especially for spacecraft.
Confinement is the most efficient way for the new earth rulers to insure access to humans for their various uses. Random mating, lactation, and feeding would disrupt the rulers’ economic and cultural values. To produce the preferred taste of human meat, CHFOs (concentrated human feeding operations) are built, especially for the final year before slaughter. Quality control means strict control of diet for the right taste and texture.
I became uncomfortable listening to the allegory and asked the philosophy professor about the interpretation of the story. He said the interpretation focuses on the listeners. Everyone naturally feels sorry for the humans. Especially interesting are the two types of individuals who hear or read the story: omnivores and vegans.
An omnivore who feels sorry for the humans has a problem. If you feel that the alien beings should not treat human beings as in the story, then you yourself should not treat other beings in this way. But in fact, omnivores treat animals the same way that the aliens treat humans in the story. The omnivores violate a form of the Golden Rule of ethics: “Do not do to others what you would not want others to do to you.” The positive form of the rule is more familiar: “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.”
The heart of the Golden Rule is compassion. It is based on both feeling and logic. If I myself would feel harmed or violated by someone’s action, then I should have the sense (compassion) to avoid performing that action myself.
The allegory is effective in teaching us lessons about the real world we live in. Who knew that consuming animal products is a violation of the Golden Rule? It is sometimes said that the vegan way of life is a compassionate way. The allegory helps us understand this aspect.