Fallacy
Humans have been eating meat for as long as there have been humans, so it is all right to continue eating meat.
Response
There are many hypotheses about the food our early ancestors ate, what effect it had on their overall health and the evolutionary impacts of their diets. However, while it is certainly true that they ate other animals, it is also true that they did not always do so, just as it is true that individuals, groups and societies have been thriving on plant-based diets throughout history.
Even if we knew what all of our early ancestors were eating across the Earth during the entirety of our evolutionary history, it would still be illogical to conclude that because some of them ate meat some of the time, we should continue doing so. In fact, a robust body of medical research has concluded that consumption of animal flesh and secretions is harmful to us, and we already know factory farming of animals is destructive to the Earth. Further, this reason for eating meat ignores an important ethical point; namely, that history does not equal justification. Our ancestors did many things we find problematic now. They kept slaves, for instance. So it is both illogical and unethical to conclude that simply because some of our early ancestors ate meat, we should continue to do so now.
Issue Responses
Humor