"But We Have Canine Teeth"

“We have canine teeth like lions or tigers, so therefore we are meant to eat meat!”

It’s true that carnivores have canines (more like fangs compared to ours 🧛) specifically designed for tearing raw muscle from live prey. But the fact is nearly all mammals, carnivores and herbivores have canine teeth, including hippopotamuses and gorillas. Both of whom are primarily herbivorous and do not rely on meat, yet they sport some of the largest canines on the planet. Having canines doesn’t mean an animal has to eat meat, and the same logic applies to us.

Using biology to justify morality is also kinda funny if you apply it to other parts of our body 💪🏾. I have hands that are capable of forming a fist, but that doesn’t make it morally acceptable for me to punch someone just because they littered in front of me. Having the biological equipment to do something doesn’t give you the moral obligation to do it.

Why do we have canine teeth then?

I like this passage from the Smithsonian Magazine website:

“All primate species have them, says Sabrina Sholts, a curator of physical anthropology at the Museum of Natural History. Early hominids may have found those four sharp teeth at the corners of the jaws a handy weapon for taking prey, preventing others from taking them prey and competing for mates. Over millions of years, possibly in response to dietary changes, the teeth became smaller. We modern humans use them to bite food and open cellophane-wrapped packages.”

So, having slightly pointy teeth isn’t a great argument for why I should eat meat. Just because we possess the physical ability to chew something doesn’t make it morally right or biologically necessary to pay for an animal to be slaughtered.