Flesh food is not a necessity in the human diet, as nutritionally adequate alternatives are readily available. Many people in the world thrive on a non-meat diet. Indeed, vegetarian Seventh-Day Adventists in this country live an average of six years longer than their meat-eating counterparts. The National Academy of Science warns that our fat-laden diet is directly responsible for much of the heart disease and cancer that afflict so many. At a time when people are starving in certain parts of the world, it should be noted that a steer must consume sixteen pounds of grain and soy to produce one pound of meat. The grain and soybeans we feed our meat-producing animals would feed every hungry mouth in the world many times over. Cattle are competing with humans for food. Clearly, a reassessment of the whole concept of killing and eating animals is in order

The following arguments gradually increase in difficulty. Use the method presented in this section to construct argument patterns. If a statement is redundant or plays no role in the argument, do not include it in the pattern.