Deck 49: Tom Regan

Question 1

Tom Regan: We Are What We Eat
In "We Are What We Eat," Tom Regan discusses a number of health and environmental consequences of food production and identifies some of the moral questions these consequences raise. Regan begins by describing the extensive of use of chemicals such as pesticides, herbicides, and fertilizers in modern agriculture. Traces of these dangerous chemicals can remain in the food we eat and surface runoffs can contaminate the water we drink. Moreover, the industrial production of these chemicals in petrochemical plants pollutes the air we breathe and contributes to phenomena like acid rain and dead lakes. These effects threaten not only our own health, but that of future generations as well. Regan therefore asks whether we are doing enough to protect the interests of generations yet to come.
Chemical use is also extensive in the meat industry, where factory farms subject pigs, chickens, and cows to a range of growth stimulants and antibiotics. This again raises concerns about the effects of chemical residue in our food, but factory farms raise other issues as well. For one, they are inefficient in that the amount of protein they produce in meat products is less than the amount of vegetable protein they consume in animal feed. In a world where millions of people die of starvation every year, Regan asks whether such a wasteful method of producing food is morally acceptable. Moreover, there is the question of the treatment of farm animals themselves. Factory farms condemn millions of conscious beings to lives of frustration and misery every year. For Regan, any morally serious examination of modern food production must take the treatment of these animals into consideration. Regan also raises moral questions regarding wild animals, which are increasingly endangered because of chemical contamination of the environment and habitat destruction caused by urban growth. Do animal species have a value independent to human interests (including economic interests) that makes their survival a good thing?
-Regan raises the question of what we might owe to future generations. Do we have moral obligations to future generations in your view? Why or why not?

Answer 1

No Answer

Question 2

Tom Regan: We Are What We Eat
In "We Are What We Eat," Tom Regan discusses a number of health and environmental consequences of food production and identifies some of the moral questions these consequences raise. Regan begins by describing the extensive of use of chemicals such as pesticides, herbicides, and fertilizers in modern agriculture. Traces of these dangerous chemicals can remain in the food we eat and surface runoffs can contaminate the water we drink. Moreover, the industrial production of these chemicals in petrochemical plants pollutes the air we breathe and contributes to phenomena like acid rain and dead lakes. These effects threaten not only our own health, but that of future generations as well. Regan therefore asks whether we are doing enough to protect the interests of generations yet to come.
Chemical use is also extensive in the meat industry, where factory farms subject pigs, chickens, and cows to a range of growth stimulants and antibiotics. This again raises concerns about the effects of chemical residue in our food, but factory farms raise other issues as well. For one, they are inefficient in that the amount of protein they produce in meat products is less than the amount of vegetable protein they consume in animal feed. In a world where millions of people die of starvation every year, Regan asks whether such a wasteful method of producing food is morally acceptable. Moreover, there is the question of the treatment of farm animals themselves. Factory farms condemn millions of conscious beings to lives of frustration and misery every year. For Regan, any morally serious examination of modern food production must take the treatment of these animals into consideration. Regan also raises moral questions regarding wild animals, which are increasingly endangered because of chemical contamination of the environment and habitat destruction caused by urban growth. Do animal species have a value independent to human interests (including economic interests) that makes their survival a good thing?
-Regan describes several problematic features of factory farming. What are these features and do any give rise to a compelling moral reason to end factory farming? Why or why not?

Answer 2

No Answer

Question 3

Tom Regan: We Are What We Eat
In "We Are What We Eat," Tom Regan discusses a number of health and environmental consequences of food production and identifies some of the moral questions these consequences raise. Regan begins by describing the extensive of use of chemicals such as pesticides, herbicides, and fertilizers in modern agriculture. Traces of these dangerous chemicals can remain in the food we eat and surface runoffs can contaminate the water we drink. Moreover, the industrial production of these chemicals in petrochemical plants pollutes the air we breathe and contributes to phenomena like acid rain and dead lakes. These effects threaten not only our own health, but that of future generations as well. Regan therefore asks whether we are doing enough to protect the interests of generations yet to come.
Chemical use is also extensive in the meat industry, where factory farms subject pigs, chickens, and cows to a range of growth stimulants and antibiotics. This again raises concerns about the effects of chemical residue in our food, but factory farms raise other issues as well. For one, they are inefficient in that the amount of protein they produce in meat products is less than the amount of vegetable protein they consume in animal feed. In a world where millions of people die of starvation every year, Regan asks whether such a wasteful method of producing food is morally acceptable. Moreover, there is the question of the treatment of farm animals themselves. Factory farms condemn millions of conscious beings to lives of frustration and misery every year. For Regan, any morally serious examination of modern food production must take the treatment of these animals into consideration. Regan also raises moral questions regarding wild animals, which are increasingly endangered because of chemical contamination of the environment and habitat destruction caused by urban growth. Do animal species have a value independent to human interests (including economic interests) that makes their survival a good thing?
-What is anthropomorphism? Are there any reasons for thinking anthropomorphism is correct? Why or why not?

Answer 3

No Answer

Question 4

Tom Regan: We Are What We Eat
In "We Are What We Eat," Tom Regan discusses a number of health and environmental consequences of food production and identifies some of the moral questions these consequences raise. Regan begins by describing the extensive of use of chemicals such as pesticides, herbicides, and fertilizers in modern agriculture. Traces of these dangerous chemicals can remain in the food we eat and surface runoffs can contaminate the water we drink. Moreover, the industrial production of these chemicals in petrochemical plants pollutes the air we breathe and contributes to phenomena like acid rain and dead lakes. These effects threaten not only our own health, but that of future generations as well. Regan therefore asks whether we are doing enough to protect the interests of generations yet to come.
Chemical use is also extensive in the meat industry, where factory farms subject pigs, chickens, and cows to a range of growth stimulants and antibiotics. This again raises concerns about the effects of chemical residue in our food, but factory farms raise other issues as well. For one, they are inefficient in that the amount of protein they produce in meat products is less than the amount of vegetable protein they consume in animal feed. In a world where millions of people die of starvation every year, Regan asks whether such a wasteful method of producing food is morally acceptable. Moreover, there is the question of the treatment of farm animals themselves. Factory farms condemn millions of conscious beings to lives of frustration and misery every year. For Regan, any morally serious examination of modern food production must take the treatment of these animals into consideration. Regan also raises moral questions regarding wild animals, which are increasingly endangered because of chemical contamination of the environment and habitat destruction caused by urban growth. Do animal species have a value independent to human interests (including economic interests) that makes their survival a good thing?
-Do any of the issues Regan raises provide a compelling moral reason to adopt vegetarianism in your view? Why or why not?

Question 5

Tom Regan: We Are What We Eat
In "We Are What We Eat," Tom Regan discusses a number of health and environmental consequences of food production and identifies some of the moral questions these consequences raise. Regan begins by describing the extensive of use of chemicals such as pesticides, herbicides, and fertilizers in modern agriculture. Traces of these dangerous chemicals can remain in the food we eat and surface runoffs can contaminate the water we drink. Moreover, the industrial production of these chemicals in petrochemical plants pollutes the air we breathe and contributes to phenomena like acid rain and dead lakes. These effects threaten not only our own health, but that of future generations as well. Regan therefore asks whether we are doing enough to protect the interests of generations yet to come.
Chemical use is also extensive in the meat industry, where factory farms subject pigs, chickens, and cows to a range of growth stimulants and antibiotics. This again raises concerns about the effects of chemical residue in our food, but factory farms raise other issues as well. For one, they are inefficient in that the amount of protein they produce in meat products is less than the amount of vegetable protein they consume in animal feed. In a world where millions of people die of starvation every year, Regan asks whether such a wasteful method of producing food is morally acceptable. Moreover, there is the question of the treatment of farm animals themselves. Factory farms condemn millions of conscious beings to lives of frustration and misery every year. For Regan, any morally serious examination of modern food production must take the treatment of these animals into consideration. Regan also raises moral questions regarding wild animals, which are increasingly endangered because of chemical contamination of the environment and habitat destruction caused by urban growth. Do animal species have a value independent to human interests (including economic interests) that makes their survival a good thing?
-Of the issues Regan raises, which one do you think is the most serious and why?

Question 6

Tom Regan: We Are What We Eat
In "We Are What We Eat," Tom Regan discusses a number of health and environmental consequences of food production and identifies some of the moral questions these consequences raise. Regan begins by describing the extensive of use of chemicals such as pesticides, herbicides, and fertilizers in modern agriculture. Traces of these dangerous chemicals can remain in the food we eat and surface runoffs can contaminate the water we drink. Moreover, the industrial production of these chemicals in petrochemical plants pollutes the air we breathe and contributes to phenomena like acid rain and dead lakes. These effects threaten not only our own health, but that of future generations as well. Regan therefore asks whether we are doing enough to protect the interests of generations yet to come.
Chemical use is also extensive in the meat industry, where factory farms subject pigs, chickens, and cows to a range of growth stimulants and antibiotics. This again raises concerns about the effects of chemical residue in our food, but factory farms raise other issues as well. For one, they are inefficient in that the amount of protein they produce in meat products is less than the amount of vegetable protein they consume in animal feed. In a world where millions of people die of starvation every year, Regan asks whether such a wasteful method of producing food is morally acceptable. Moreover, there is the question of the treatment of farm animals themselves. Factory farms condemn millions of conscious beings to lives of frustration and misery every year. For Regan, any morally serious examination of modern food production must take the treatment of these animals into consideration. Regan also raises moral questions regarding wild animals, which are increasingly endangered because of chemical contamination of the environment and habitat destruction caused by urban growth. Do animal species have a value independent to human interests (including economic interests) that makes their survival a good thing?
-Is it important that animal species are saved from extinction in your view? Why or why not?

Question 7

Tom Regan: We Are What We Eat
In "We Are What We Eat," Tom Regan discusses a number of health and environmental consequences of food production and identifies some of the moral questions these consequences raise. Regan begins by describing the extensive of use of chemicals such as pesticides, herbicides, and fertilizers in modern agriculture. Traces of these dangerous chemicals can remain in the food we eat and surface runoffs can contaminate the water we drink. Moreover, the industrial production of these chemicals in petrochemical plants pollutes the air we breathe and contributes to phenomena like acid rain and dead lakes. These effects threaten not only our own health, but that of future generations as well. Regan therefore asks whether we are doing enough to protect the interests of generations yet to come.
Chemical use is also extensive in the meat industry, where factory farms subject pigs, chickens, and cows to a range of growth stimulants and antibiotics. This again raises concerns about the effects of chemical residue in our food, but factory farms raise other issues as well. For one, they are inefficient in that the amount of protein they produce in meat products is less than the amount of vegetable protein they consume in animal feed. In a world where millions of people die of starvation every year, Regan asks whether such a wasteful method of producing food is morally acceptable. Moreover, there is the question of the treatment of farm animals themselves. Factory farms condemn millions of conscious beings to lives of frustration and misery every year. For Regan, any morally serious examination of modern food production must take the treatment of these animals into consideration. Regan also raises moral questions regarding wild animals, which are increasingly endangered because of chemical contamination of the environment and habitat destruction caused by urban growth. Do animal species have a value independent to human interests (including economic interests) that makes their survival a good thing?
-How might some of the issues Regan raises be best addressed politically in your view? Explain your answer.

Question 8

Tom Regan: We Are What We Eat
In "We Are What We Eat," Tom Regan discusses a number of health and environmental consequences of food production and identifies some of the moral questions these consequences raise. Regan begins by describing the extensive of use of chemicals such as pesticides, herbicides, and fertilizers in modern agriculture. Traces of these dangerous chemicals can remain in the food we eat and surface runoffs can contaminate the water we drink. Moreover, the industrial production of these chemicals in petrochemical plants pollutes the air we breathe and contributes to phenomena like acid rain and dead lakes. These effects threaten not only our own health, but that of future generations as well. Regan therefore asks whether we are doing enough to protect the interests of generations yet to come.
Chemical use is also extensive in the meat industry, where factory farms subject pigs, chickens, and cows to a range of growth stimulants and antibiotics. This again raises concerns about the effects of chemical residue in our food, but factory farms raise other issues as well. For one, they are inefficient in that the amount of protein they produce in meat products is less than the amount of vegetable protein they consume in animal feed. In a world where millions of people die of starvation every year, Regan asks whether such a wasteful method of producing food is morally acceptable. Moreover, there is the question of the treatment of farm animals themselves. Factory farms condemn millions of conscious beings to lives of frustration and misery every year. For Regan, any morally serious examination of modern food production must take the treatment of these animals into consideration. Regan also raises moral questions regarding wild animals, which are increasingly endangered because of chemical contamination of the environment and habitat destruction caused by urban growth. Do animal species have a value independent to human interests (including economic interests) that makes their survival a good thing?
-One worry Regan raises about modern crop production centers on its:

A) productivity.
B) chemical use.
C) profitability.
D) all of the above.

Question 9

Tom Regan: We Are What We Eat
In "We Are What We Eat," Tom Regan discusses a number of health and environmental consequences of food production and identifies some of the moral questions these consequences raise. Regan begins by describing the extensive of use of chemicals such as pesticides, herbicides, and fertilizers in modern agriculture. Traces of these dangerous chemicals can remain in the food we eat and surface runoffs can contaminate the water we drink. Moreover, the industrial production of these chemicals in petrochemical plants pollutes the air we breathe and contributes to phenomena like acid rain and dead lakes. These effects threaten not only our own health, but that of future generations as well. Regan therefore asks whether we are doing enough to protect the interests of generations yet to come.
Chemical use is also extensive in the meat industry, where factory farms subject pigs, chickens, and cows to a range of growth stimulants and antibiotics. This again raises concerns about the effects of chemical residue in our food, but factory farms raise other issues as well. For one, they are inefficient in that the amount of protein they produce in meat products is less than the amount of vegetable protein they consume in animal feed. In a world where millions of people die of starvation every year, Regan asks whether such a wasteful method of producing food is morally acceptable. Moreover, there is the question of the treatment of farm animals themselves. Factory farms condemn millions of conscious beings to lives of frustration and misery every year. For Regan, any morally serious examination of modern food production must take the treatment of these animals into consideration. Regan also raises moral questions regarding wild animals, which are increasingly endangered because of chemical contamination of the environment and habitat destruction caused by urban growth. Do animal species have a value independent to human interests (including economic interests) that makes their survival a good thing?
-According to Regan, modern crop production makes intensive use of:

A) antibiotics.
B) growth stimulants.
C) herbicides.
D) all of the above.

Question 10

Tom Regan: We Are What We Eat
In "We Are What We Eat," Tom Regan discusses a number of health and environmental consequences of food production and identifies some of the moral questions these consequences raise. Regan begins by describing the extensive of use of chemicals such as pesticides, herbicides, and fertilizers in modern agriculture. Traces of these dangerous chemicals can remain in the food we eat and surface runoffs can contaminate the water we drink. Moreover, the industrial production of these chemicals in petrochemical plants pollutes the air we breathe and contributes to phenomena like acid rain and dead lakes. These effects threaten not only our own health, but that of future generations as well. Regan therefore asks whether we are doing enough to protect the interests of generations yet to come.
Chemical use is also extensive in the meat industry, where factory farms subject pigs, chickens, and cows to a range of growth stimulants and antibiotics. This again raises concerns about the effects of chemical residue in our food, but factory farms raise other issues as well. For one, they are inefficient in that the amount of protein they produce in meat products is less than the amount of vegetable protein they consume in animal feed. In a world where millions of people die of starvation every year, Regan asks whether such a wasteful method of producing food is morally acceptable. Moreover, there is the question of the treatment of farm animals themselves. Factory farms condemn millions of conscious beings to lives of frustration and misery every year. For Regan, any morally serious examination of modern food production must take the treatment of these animals into consideration. Regan also raises moral questions regarding wild animals, which are increasingly endangered because of chemical contamination of the environment and habitat destruction caused by urban growth. Do animal species have a value independent to human interests (including economic interests) that makes their survival a good thing?
-In addition to leaving potentially dangerous residue in food, pesticides can also:

A) contaminate water supplies.
B) cause acid rain.
C) create "dead" lakes.
D) all of the above.

Question 11

Tom Regan: We Are What We Eat
In "We Are What We Eat," Tom Regan discusses a number of health and environmental consequences of food production and identifies some of the moral questions these consequences raise. Regan begins by describing the extensive of use of chemicals such as pesticides, herbicides, and fertilizers in modern agriculture. Traces of these dangerous chemicals can remain in the food we eat and surface runoffs can contaminate the water we drink. Moreover, the industrial production of these chemicals in petrochemical plants pollutes the air we breathe and contributes to phenomena like acid rain and dead lakes. These effects threaten not only our own health, but that of future generations as well. Regan therefore asks whether we are doing enough to protect the interests of generations yet to come.
Chemical use is also extensive in the meat industry, where factory farms subject pigs, chickens, and cows to a range of growth stimulants and antibiotics. This again raises concerns about the effects of chemical residue in our food, but factory farms raise other issues as well. For one, they are inefficient in that the amount of protein they produce in meat products is less than the amount of vegetable protein they consume in animal feed. In a world where millions of people die of starvation every year, Regan asks whether such a wasteful method of producing food is morally acceptable. Moreover, there is the question of the treatment of farm animals themselves. Factory farms condemn millions of conscious beings to lives of frustration and misery every year. For Regan, any morally serious examination of modern food production must take the treatment of these animals into consideration. Regan also raises moral questions regarding wild animals, which are increasingly endangered because of chemical contamination of the environment and habitat destruction caused by urban growth. Do animal species have a value independent to human interests (including economic interests) that makes their survival a good thing?
-Petrochemical plants pollute the air:

A) directly, by the release of toxins into the air.
B) indirectly, by relying on sources of electrical power detrimental to air quality.
C) both a and b.
D) neither a nor b.

Question 12

Tom Regan: We Are What We Eat
In "We Are What We Eat," Tom Regan discusses a number of health and environmental consequences of food production and identifies some of the moral questions these consequences raise. Regan begins by describing the extensive of use of chemicals such as pesticides, herbicides, and fertilizers in modern agriculture. Traces of these dangerous chemicals can remain in the food we eat and surface runoffs can contaminate the water we drink. Moreover, the industrial production of these chemicals in petrochemical plants pollutes the air we breathe and contributes to phenomena like acid rain and dead lakes. These effects threaten not only our own health, but that of future generations as well. Regan therefore asks whether we are doing enough to protect the interests of generations yet to come.
Chemical use is also extensive in the meat industry, where factory farms subject pigs, chickens, and cows to a range of growth stimulants and antibiotics. This again raises concerns about the effects of chemical residue in our food, but factory farms raise other issues as well. For one, they are inefficient in that the amount of protein they produce in meat products is less than the amount of vegetable protein they consume in animal feed. In a world where millions of people die of starvation every year, Regan asks whether such a wasteful method of producing food is morally acceptable. Moreover, there is the question of the treatment of farm animals themselves. Factory farms condemn millions of conscious beings to lives of frustration and misery every year. For Regan, any morally serious examination of modern food production must take the treatment of these animals into consideration. Regan also raises moral questions regarding wild animals, which are increasingly endangered because of chemical contamination of the environment and habitat destruction caused by urban growth. Do animal species have a value independent to human interests (including economic interests) that makes their survival a good thing?
-Among the causes of acid rain are:

A) sulfur oxide emissions.
B) coal-burning power plants.
C) nitrogen oxide emissions.
D) all of the above.

Question 13

Tom Regan: We Are What We Eat
In "We Are What We Eat," Tom Regan discusses a number of health and environmental consequences of food production and identifies some of the moral questions these consequences raise. Regan begins by describing the extensive of use of chemicals such as pesticides, herbicides, and fertilizers in modern agriculture. Traces of these dangerous chemicals can remain in the food we eat and surface runoffs can contaminate the water we drink. Moreover, the industrial production of these chemicals in petrochemical plants pollutes the air we breathe and contributes to phenomena like acid rain and dead lakes. These effects threaten not only our own health, but that of future generations as well. Regan therefore asks whether we are doing enough to protect the interests of generations yet to come.
Chemical use is also extensive in the meat industry, where factory farms subject pigs, chickens, and cows to a range of growth stimulants and antibiotics. This again raises concerns about the effects of chemical residue in our food, but factory farms raise other issues as well. For one, they are inefficient in that the amount of protein they produce in meat products is less than the amount of vegetable protein they consume in animal feed. In a world where millions of people die of starvation every year, Regan asks whether such a wasteful method of producing food is morally acceptable. Moreover, there is the question of the treatment of farm animals themselves. Factory farms condemn millions of conscious beings to lives of frustration and misery every year. For Regan, any morally serious examination of modern food production must take the treatment of these animals into consideration. Regan also raises moral questions regarding wild animals, which are increasingly endangered because of chemical contamination of the environment and habitat destruction caused by urban growth. Do animal species have a value independent to human interests (including economic interests) that makes their survival a good thing?
-According to Regan, "dead" lakes are caused by:

A) runoffs of pesticides.
B) acid rain.
C) illegal dumping.
D) animal waste.

Question 14

Tom Regan: We Are What We Eat
In "We Are What We Eat," Tom Regan discusses a number of health and environmental consequences of food production and identifies some of the moral questions these consequences raise. Regan begins by describing the extensive of use of chemicals such as pesticides, herbicides, and fertilizers in modern agriculture. Traces of these dangerous chemicals can remain in the food we eat and surface runoffs can contaminate the water we drink. Moreover, the industrial production of these chemicals in petrochemical plants pollutes the air we breathe and contributes to phenomena like acid rain and dead lakes. These effects threaten not only our own health, but that of future generations as well. Regan therefore asks whether we are doing enough to protect the interests of generations yet to come.
Chemical use is also extensive in the meat industry, where factory farms subject pigs, chickens, and cows to a range of growth stimulants and antibiotics. This again raises concerns about the effects of chemical residue in our food, but factory farms raise other issues as well. For one, they are inefficient in that the amount of protein they produce in meat products is less than the amount of vegetable protein they consume in animal feed. In a world where millions of people die of starvation every year, Regan asks whether such a wasteful method of producing food is morally acceptable. Moreover, there is the question of the treatment of farm animals themselves. Factory farms condemn millions of conscious beings to lives of frustration and misery every year. For Regan, any morally serious examination of modern food production must take the treatment of these animals into consideration. Regan also raises moral questions regarding wild animals, which are increasingly endangered because of chemical contamination of the environment and habitat destruction caused by urban growth. Do animal species have a value independent to human interests (including economic interests) that makes their survival a good thing?
-Because it puts people in general at the risk of harm, Regan refers to pollution as a:

A) public evils problem.
B) threat to the common good.
C) public nuisance.
D) public emergency.

Question 15

Tom Regan: We Are What We Eat
In "We Are What We Eat," Tom Regan discusses a number of health and environmental consequences of food production and identifies some of the moral questions these consequences raise. Regan begins by describing the extensive of use of chemicals such as pesticides, herbicides, and fertilizers in modern agriculture. Traces of these dangerous chemicals can remain in the food we eat and surface runoffs can contaminate the water we drink. Moreover, the industrial production of these chemicals in petrochemical plants pollutes the air we breathe and contributes to phenomena like acid rain and dead lakes. These effects threaten not only our own health, but that of future generations as well. Regan therefore asks whether we are doing enough to protect the interests of generations yet to come.
Chemical use is also extensive in the meat industry, where factory farms subject pigs, chickens, and cows to a range of growth stimulants and antibiotics. This again raises concerns about the effects of chemical residue in our food, but factory farms raise other issues as well. For one, they are inefficient in that the amount of protein they produce in meat products is less than the amount of vegetable protein they consume in animal feed. In a world where millions of people die of starvation every year, Regan asks whether such a wasteful method of producing food is morally acceptable. Moreover, there is the question of the treatment of farm animals themselves. Factory farms condemn millions of conscious beings to lives of frustration and misery every year. For Regan, any morally serious examination of modern food production must take the treatment of these animals into consideration. Regan also raises moral questions regarding wild animals, which are increasingly endangered because of chemical contamination of the environment and habitat destruction caused by urban growth. Do animal species have a value independent to human interests (including economic interests) that makes their survival a good thing?
-Regan raises concerns about factory farms because:

A) of their intensive use of chemicals.
B) they are wasteful.
C) of their treatment of animals.
D) all of the above.

Question 16

Tom Regan: We Are What We Eat
In "We Are What We Eat," Tom Regan discusses a number of health and environmental consequences of food production and identifies some of the moral questions these consequences raise. Regan begins by describing the extensive of use of chemicals such as pesticides, herbicides, and fertilizers in modern agriculture. Traces of these dangerous chemicals can remain in the food we eat and surface runoffs can contaminate the water we drink. Moreover, the industrial production of these chemicals in petrochemical plants pollutes the air we breathe and contributes to phenomena like acid rain and dead lakes. These effects threaten not only our own health, but that of future generations as well. Regan therefore asks whether we are doing enough to protect the interests of generations yet to come.
Chemical use is also extensive in the meat industry, where factory farms subject pigs, chickens, and cows to a range of growth stimulants and antibiotics. This again raises concerns about the effects of chemical residue in our food, but factory farms raise other issues as well. For one, they are inefficient in that the amount of protein they produce in meat products is less than the amount of vegetable protein they consume in animal feed. In a world where millions of people die of starvation every year, Regan asks whether such a wasteful method of producing food is morally acceptable. Moreover, there is the question of the treatment of farm animals themselves. Factory farms condemn millions of conscious beings to lives of frustration and misery every year. For Regan, any morally serious examination of modern food production must take the treatment of these animals into consideration. Regan also raises moral questions regarding wild animals, which are increasingly endangered because of chemical contamination of the environment and habitat destruction caused by urban growth. Do animal species have a value independent to human interests (including economic interests) that makes their survival a good thing?
-According to Regan, factory farms are inefficient because:

A) they kill animals unnecessarily.
B) much of the meat they produce goes unsold.
C) they consume more protein than the produce.
D) they cost more in upkeep than they make in profit.

Question 17

Tom Regan: We Are What We Eat
In "We Are What We Eat," Tom Regan discusses a number of health and environmental consequences of food production and identifies some of the moral questions these consequences raise. Regan begins by describing the extensive of use of chemicals such as pesticides, herbicides, and fertilizers in modern agriculture. Traces of these dangerous chemicals can remain in the food we eat and surface runoffs can contaminate the water we drink. Moreover, the industrial production of these chemicals in petrochemical plants pollutes the air we breathe and contributes to phenomena like acid rain and dead lakes. These effects threaten not only our own health, but that of future generations as well. Regan therefore asks whether we are doing enough to protect the interests of generations yet to come.
Chemical use is also extensive in the meat industry, where factory farms subject pigs, chickens, and cows to a range of growth stimulants and antibiotics. This again raises concerns about the effects of chemical residue in our food, but factory farms raise other issues as well. For one, they are inefficient in that the amount of protein they produce in meat products is less than the amount of vegetable protein they consume in animal feed. In a world where millions of people die of starvation every year, Regan asks whether such a wasteful method of producing food is morally acceptable. Moreover, there is the question of the treatment of farm animals themselves. Factory farms condemn millions of conscious beings to lives of frustration and misery every year. For Regan, any morally serious examination of modern food production must take the treatment of these animals into consideration. Regan also raises moral questions regarding wild animals, which are increasingly endangered because of chemical contamination of the environment and habitat destruction caused by urban growth. Do animal species have a value independent to human interests (including economic interests) that makes their survival a good thing?
-According to Regan, the inefficiency of factory farms is particularly problematic given:

A) how little money they make.
B) how many people die of starvation each year.
C) how little meat they produce.
D) all of the above.

Question 18

Tom Regan: We Are What We Eat
In "We Are What We Eat," Tom Regan discusses a number of health and environmental consequences of food production and identifies some of the moral questions these consequences raise. Regan begins by describing the extensive of use of chemicals such as pesticides, herbicides, and fertilizers in modern agriculture. Traces of these dangerous chemicals can remain in the food we eat and surface runoffs can contaminate the water we drink. Moreover, the industrial production of these chemicals in petrochemical plants pollutes the air we breathe and contributes to phenomena like acid rain and dead lakes. These effects threaten not only our own health, but that of future generations as well. Regan therefore asks whether we are doing enough to protect the interests of generations yet to come.
Chemical use is also extensive in the meat industry, where factory farms subject pigs, chickens, and cows to a range of growth stimulants and antibiotics. This again raises concerns about the effects of chemical residue in our food, but factory farms raise other issues as well. For one, they are inefficient in that the amount of protein they produce in meat products is less than the amount of vegetable protein they consume in animal feed. In a world where millions of people die of starvation every year, Regan asks whether such a wasteful method of producing food is morally acceptable. Moreover, there is the question of the treatment of farm animals themselves. Factory farms condemn millions of conscious beings to lives of frustration and misery every year. For Regan, any morally serious examination of modern food production must take the treatment of these animals into consideration. Regan also raises moral questions regarding wild animals, which are increasingly endangered because of chemical contamination of the environment and habitat destruction caused by urban growth. Do animal species have a value independent to human interests (including economic interests) that makes their survival a good thing?
-According to the philosopher Rene Descartes, animals like pigs, chickens, and cows are:

A) naturally inquisitive
B) aware of their surroundings
C) capable of experiencing pleasure and pain.
D) none of the above.

Question 19

Tom Regan: We Are What We Eat
In "We Are What We Eat," Tom Regan discusses a number of health and environmental consequences of food production and identifies some of the moral questions these consequences raise. Regan begins by describing the extensive of use of chemicals such as pesticides, herbicides, and fertilizers in modern agriculture. Traces of these dangerous chemicals can remain in the food we eat and surface runoffs can contaminate the water we drink. Moreover, the industrial production of these chemicals in petrochemical plants pollutes the air we breathe and contributes to phenomena like acid rain and dead lakes. These effects threaten not only our own health, but that of future generations as well. Regan therefore asks whether we are doing enough to protect the interests of generations yet to come.
Chemical use is also extensive in the meat industry, where factory farms subject pigs, chickens, and cows to a range of growth stimulants and antibiotics. This again raises concerns about the effects of chemical residue in our food, but factory farms raise other issues as well. For one, they are inefficient in that the amount of protein they produce in meat products is less than the amount of vegetable protein they consume in animal feed. In a world where millions of people die of starvation every year, Regan asks whether such a wasteful method of producing food is morally acceptable. Moreover, there is the question of the treatment of farm animals themselves. Factory farms condemn millions of conscious beings to lives of frustration and misery every year. For Regan, any morally serious examination of modern food production must take the treatment of these animals into consideration. Regan also raises moral questions regarding wild animals, which are increasingly endangered because of chemical contamination of the environment and habitat destruction caused by urban growth. Do animal species have a value independent to human interests (including economic interests) that makes their survival a good thing?
-According to Regan, the treatment farm animals receive raises moral questions because:

A) they depend on us.
B) they experience pleasure and pain.
C) they are rational.
D) all of the above.

Question 20

Tom Regan: We Are What We Eat
In "We Are What We Eat," Tom Regan discusses a number of health and environmental consequences of food production and identifies some of the moral questions these consequences raise. Regan begins by describing the extensive of use of chemicals such as pesticides, herbicides, and fertilizers in modern agriculture. Traces of these dangerous chemicals can remain in the food we eat and surface runoffs can contaminate the water we drink. Moreover, the industrial production of these chemicals in petrochemical plants pollutes the air we breathe and contributes to phenomena like acid rain and dead lakes. These effects threaten not only our own health, but that of future generations as well. Regan therefore asks whether we are doing enough to protect the interests of generations yet to come.
Chemical use is also extensive in the meat industry, where factory farms subject pigs, chickens, and cows to a range of growth stimulants and antibiotics. This again raises concerns about the effects of chemical residue in our food, but factory farms raise other issues as well. For one, they are inefficient in that the amount of protein they produce in meat products is less than the amount of vegetable protein they consume in animal feed. In a world where millions of people die of starvation every year, Regan asks whether such a wasteful method of producing food is morally acceptable. Moreover, there is the question of the treatment of farm animals themselves. Factory farms condemn millions of conscious beings to lives of frustration and misery every year. For Regan, any morally serious examination of modern food production must take the treatment of these animals into consideration. Regan also raises moral questions regarding wild animals, which are increasingly endangered because of chemical contamination of the environment and habitat destruction caused by urban growth. Do animal species have a value independent to human interests (including economic interests) that makes their survival a good thing?
-One principal contributing cause of endangering species Regan identifies is:

A) urban growth.
B) hunting.
C) climate change.
D) all of the above.

Question 21

Tom Regan: We Are What We Eat
In "We Are What We Eat," Tom Regan discusses a number of health and environmental consequences of food production and identifies some of the moral questions these consequences raise. Regan begins by describing the extensive of use of chemicals such as pesticides, herbicides, and fertilizers in modern agriculture. Traces of these dangerous chemicals can remain in the food we eat and surface runoffs can contaminate the water we drink. Moreover, the industrial production of these chemicals in petrochemical plants pollutes the air we breathe and contributes to phenomena like acid rain and dead lakes. These effects threaten not only our own health, but that of future generations as well. Regan therefore asks whether we are doing enough to protect the interests of generations yet to come.
Chemical use is also extensive in the meat industry, where factory farms subject pigs, chickens, and cows to a range of growth stimulants and antibiotics. This again raises concerns about the effects of chemical residue in our food, but factory farms raise other issues as well. For one, they are inefficient in that the amount of protein they produce in meat products is less than the amount of vegetable protein they consume in animal feed. In a world where millions of people die of starvation every year, Regan asks whether such a wasteful method of producing food is morally acceptable. Moreover, there is the question of the treatment of farm animals themselves. Factory farms condemn millions of conscious beings to lives of frustration and misery every year. For Regan, any morally serious examination of modern food production must take the treatment of these animals into consideration. Regan also raises moral questions regarding wild animals, which are increasingly endangered because of chemical contamination of the environment and habitat destruction caused by urban growth. Do animal species have a value independent to human interests (including economic interests) that makes their survival a good thing?
-According to Regan, __________ is the view that all value is determined by human interests.

A) humanism
B) anthropomorphism.
C) hedonism.
D) the economic theory of value.

Question 22

Tom Regan: We Are What We Eat
In "We Are What We Eat," Tom Regan discusses a number of health and environmental consequences of food production and identifies some of the moral questions these consequences raise. Regan begins by describing the extensive of use of chemicals such as pesticides, herbicides, and fertilizers in modern agriculture. Traces of these dangerous chemicals can remain in the food we eat and surface runoffs can contaminate the water we drink. Moreover, the industrial production of these chemicals in petrochemical plants pollutes the air we breathe and contributes to phenomena like acid rain and dead lakes. These effects threaten not only our own health, but that of future generations as well. Regan therefore asks whether we are doing enough to protect the interests of generations yet to come.
Chemical use is also extensive in the meat industry, where factory farms subject pigs, chickens, and cows to a range of growth stimulants and antibiotics. This again raises concerns about the effects of chemical residue in our food, but factory farms raise other issues as well. For one, they are inefficient in that the amount of protein they produce in meat products is less than the amount of vegetable protein they consume in animal feed. In a world where millions of people die of starvation every year, Regan asks whether such a wasteful method of producing food is morally acceptable. Moreover, there is the question of the treatment of farm animals themselves. Factory farms condemn millions of conscious beings to lives of frustration and misery every year. For Regan, any morally serious examination of modern food production must take the treatment of these animals into consideration. Regan also raises moral questions regarding wild animals, which are increasingly endangered because of chemical contamination of the environment and habitat destruction caused by urban growth. Do animal species have a value independent to human interests (including economic interests) that makes their survival a good thing?
-According to economic theories of value, endangered animal species:

A) are completely without value.
B) have no value in themselves.
C) must be saved from extinction.
D) none of the above.

Question 23

Tom Regan: We Are What We Eat
In "We Are What We Eat," Tom Regan discusses a number of health and environmental consequences of food production and identifies some of the moral questions these consequences raise. Regan begins by describing the extensive of use of chemicals such as pesticides, herbicides, and fertilizers in modern agriculture. Traces of these dangerous chemicals can remain in the food we eat and surface runoffs can contaminate the water we drink. Moreover, the industrial production of these chemicals in petrochemical plants pollutes the air we breathe and contributes to phenomena like acid rain and dead lakes. These effects threaten not only our own health, but that of future generations as well. Regan therefore asks whether we are doing enough to protect the interests of generations yet to come.
Chemical use is also extensive in the meat industry, where factory farms subject pigs, chickens, and cows to a range of growth stimulants and antibiotics. This again raises concerns about the effects of chemical residue in our food, but factory farms raise other issues as well. For one, they are inefficient in that the amount of protein they produce in meat products is less than the amount of vegetable protein they consume in animal feed. In a world where millions of people die of starvation every year, Regan asks whether such a wasteful method of producing food is morally acceptable. Moreover, there is the question of the treatment of farm animals themselves. Factory farms condemn millions of conscious beings to lives of frustration and misery every year. For Regan, any morally serious examination of modern food production must take the treatment of these animals into consideration. Regan also raises moral questions regarding wild animals, which are increasingly endangered because of chemical contamination of the environment and habitat destruction caused by urban growth. Do animal species have a value independent to human interests (including economic interests) that makes their survival a good thing?
-Current methods of crop agriculture use growth stimulants and antibiotics that can find their way into our food.

Question 24

Tom Regan: We Are What We Eat
In "We Are What We Eat," Tom Regan discusses a number of health and environmental consequences of food production and identifies some of the moral questions these consequences raise. Regan begins by describing the extensive of use of chemicals such as pesticides, herbicides, and fertilizers in modern agriculture. Traces of these dangerous chemicals can remain in the food we eat and surface runoffs can contaminate the water we drink. Moreover, the industrial production of these chemicals in petrochemical plants pollutes the air we breathe and contributes to phenomena like acid rain and dead lakes. These effects threaten not only our own health, but that of future generations as well. Regan therefore asks whether we are doing enough to protect the interests of generations yet to come.
Chemical use is also extensive in the meat industry, where factory farms subject pigs, chickens, and cows to a range of growth stimulants and antibiotics. This again raises concerns about the effects of chemical residue in our food, but factory farms raise other issues as well. For one, they are inefficient in that the amount of protein they produce in meat products is less than the amount of vegetable protein they consume in animal feed. In a world where millions of people die of starvation every year, Regan asks whether such a wasteful method of producing food is morally acceptable. Moreover, there is the question of the treatment of farm animals themselves. Factory farms condemn millions of conscious beings to lives of frustration and misery every year. For Regan, any morally serious examination of modern food production must take the treatment of these animals into consideration. Regan also raises moral questions regarding wild animals, which are increasingly endangered because of chemical contamination of the environment and habitat destruction caused by urban growth. Do animal species have a value independent to human interests (including economic interests) that makes their survival a good thing?
-Acid rain threatens not only the natural environment but the urban environment as well.

Question 25

Tom Regan: We Are What We Eat
In "We Are What We Eat," Tom Regan discusses a number of health and environmental consequences of food production and identifies some of the moral questions these consequences raise. Regan begins by describing the extensive of use of chemicals such as pesticides, herbicides, and fertilizers in modern agriculture. Traces of these dangerous chemicals can remain in the food we eat and surface runoffs can contaminate the water we drink. Moreover, the industrial production of these chemicals in petrochemical plants pollutes the air we breathe and contributes to phenomena like acid rain and dead lakes. These effects threaten not only our own health, but that of future generations as well. Regan therefore asks whether we are doing enough to protect the interests of generations yet to come.
Chemical use is also extensive in the meat industry, where factory farms subject pigs, chickens, and cows to a range of growth stimulants and antibiotics. This again raises concerns about the effects of chemical residue in our food, but factory farms raise other issues as well. For one, they are inefficient in that the amount of protein they produce in meat products is less than the amount of vegetable protein they consume in animal feed. In a world where millions of people die of starvation every year, Regan asks whether such a wasteful method of producing food is morally acceptable. Moreover, there is the question of the treatment of farm animals themselves. Factory farms condemn millions of conscious beings to lives of frustration and misery every year. For Regan, any morally serious examination of modern food production must take the treatment of these animals into consideration. Regan also raises moral questions regarding wild animals, which are increasingly endangered because of chemical contamination of the environment and habitat destruction caused by urban growth. Do animal species have a value independent to human interests (including economic interests) that makes their survival a good thing?
-A lake that has dried up because of pollutants is known as a "dead lake."

Question 26

Tom Regan: We Are What We Eat
In "We Are What We Eat," Tom Regan discusses a number of health and environmental consequences of food production and identifies some of the moral questions these consequences raise. Regan begins by describing the extensive of use of chemicals such as pesticides, herbicides, and fertilizers in modern agriculture. Traces of these dangerous chemicals can remain in the food we eat and surface runoffs can contaminate the water we drink. Moreover, the industrial production of these chemicals in petrochemical plants pollutes the air we breathe and contributes to phenomena like acid rain and dead lakes. These effects threaten not only our own health, but that of future generations as well. Regan therefore asks whether we are doing enough to protect the interests of generations yet to come.
Chemical use is also extensive in the meat industry, where factory farms subject pigs, chickens, and cows to a range of growth stimulants and antibiotics. This again raises concerns about the effects of chemical residue in our food, but factory farms raise other issues as well. For one, they are inefficient in that the amount of protein they produce in meat products is less than the amount of vegetable protein they consume in animal feed. In a world where millions of people die of starvation every year, Regan asks whether such a wasteful method of producing food is morally acceptable. Moreover, there is the question of the treatment of farm animals themselves. Factory farms condemn millions of conscious beings to lives of frustration and misery every year. For Regan, any morally serious examination of modern food production must take the treatment of these animals into consideration. Regan also raises moral questions regarding wild animals, which are increasingly endangered because of chemical contamination of the environment and habitat destruction caused by urban growth. Do animal species have a value independent to human interests (including economic interests) that makes their survival a good thing?
-According to Regan, our current methods of food production may make it more difficult for future generations to grow food of their own.

Question 27

Tom Regan: We Are What We Eat
In "We Are What We Eat," Tom Regan discusses a number of health and environmental consequences of food production and identifies some of the moral questions these consequences raise. Regan begins by describing the extensive of use of chemicals such as pesticides, herbicides, and fertilizers in modern agriculture. Traces of these dangerous chemicals can remain in the food we eat and surface runoffs can contaminate the water we drink. Moreover, the industrial production of these chemicals in petrochemical plants pollutes the air we breathe and contributes to phenomena like acid rain and dead lakes. These effects threaten not only our own health, but that of future generations as well. Regan therefore asks whether we are doing enough to protect the interests of generations yet to come.
Chemical use is also extensive in the meat industry, where factory farms subject pigs, chickens, and cows to a range of growth stimulants and antibiotics. This again raises concerns about the effects of chemical residue in our food, but factory farms raise other issues as well. For one, they are inefficient in that the amount of protein they produce in meat products is less than the amount of vegetable protein they consume in animal feed. In a world where millions of people die of starvation every year, Regan asks whether such a wasteful method of producing food is morally acceptable. Moreover, there is the question of the treatment of farm animals themselves. Factory farms condemn millions of conscious beings to lives of frustration and misery every year. For Regan, any morally serious examination of modern food production must take the treatment of these animals into consideration. Regan also raises moral questions regarding wild animals, which are increasingly endangered because of chemical contamination of the environment and habitat destruction caused by urban growth. Do animal species have a value independent to human interests (including economic interests) that makes their survival a good thing?
-The problem of pollution has a relatively simple political solution according to Regan.

Question 28

Tom Regan: We Are What We Eat
In "We Are What We Eat," Tom Regan discusses a number of health and environmental consequences of food production and identifies some of the moral questions these consequences raise. Regan begins by describing the extensive of use of chemicals such as pesticides, herbicides, and fertilizers in modern agriculture. Traces of these dangerous chemicals can remain in the food we eat and surface runoffs can contaminate the water we drink. Moreover, the industrial production of these chemicals in petrochemical plants pollutes the air we breathe and contributes to phenomena like acid rain and dead lakes. These effects threaten not only our own health, but that of future generations as well. Regan therefore asks whether we are doing enough to protect the interests of generations yet to come.
Chemical use is also extensive in the meat industry, where factory farms subject pigs, chickens, and cows to a range of growth stimulants and antibiotics. This again raises concerns about the effects of chemical residue in our food, but factory farms raise other issues as well. For one, they are inefficient in that the amount of protein they produce in meat products is less than the amount of vegetable protein they consume in animal feed. In a world where millions of people die of starvation every year, Regan asks whether such a wasteful method of producing food is morally acceptable. Moreover, there is the question of the treatment of farm animals themselves. Factory farms condemn millions of conscious beings to lives of frustration and misery every year. For Regan, any morally serious examination of modern food production must take the treatment of these animals into consideration. Regan also raises moral questions regarding wild animals, which are increasingly endangered because of chemical contamination of the environment and habitat destruction caused by urban growth. Do animal species have a value independent to human interests (including economic interests) that makes their survival a good thing?
-Like crop agriculture, farm animal agriculture is chemically intensive.

Question 29

Tom Regan: We Are What We Eat
In "We Are What We Eat," Tom Regan discusses a number of health and environmental consequences of food production and identifies some of the moral questions these consequences raise. Regan begins by describing the extensive of use of chemicals such as pesticides, herbicides, and fertilizers in modern agriculture. Traces of these dangerous chemicals can remain in the food we eat and surface runoffs can contaminate the water we drink. Moreover, the industrial production of these chemicals in petrochemical plants pollutes the air we breathe and contributes to phenomena like acid rain and dead lakes. These effects threaten not only our own health, but that of future generations as well. Regan therefore asks whether we are doing enough to protect the interests of generations yet to come.
Chemical use is also extensive in the meat industry, where factory farms subject pigs, chickens, and cows to a range of growth stimulants and antibiotics. This again raises concerns about the effects of chemical residue in our food, but factory farms raise other issues as well. For one, they are inefficient in that the amount of protein they produce in meat products is less than the amount of vegetable protein they consume in animal feed. In a world where millions of people die of starvation every year, Regan asks whether such a wasteful method of producing food is morally acceptable. Moreover, there is the question of the treatment of farm animals themselves. Factory farms condemn millions of conscious beings to lives of frustration and misery every year. For Regan, any morally serious examination of modern food production must take the treatment of these animals into consideration. Regan also raises moral questions regarding wild animals, which are increasingly endangered because of chemical contamination of the environment and habitat destruction caused by urban growth. Do animal species have a value independent to human interests (including economic interests) that makes their survival a good thing?
-Despite their treatment of farm animals, factory farms produce food efficiently.

Question 30

Tom Regan: We Are What We Eat
In "We Are What We Eat," Tom Regan discusses a number of health and environmental consequences of food production and identifies some of the moral questions these consequences raise. Regan begins by describing the extensive of use of chemicals such as pesticides, herbicides, and fertilizers in modern agriculture. Traces of these dangerous chemicals can remain in the food we eat and surface runoffs can contaminate the water we drink. Moreover, the industrial production of these chemicals in petrochemical plants pollutes the air we breathe and contributes to phenomena like acid rain and dead lakes. These effects threaten not only our own health, but that of future generations as well. Regan therefore asks whether we are doing enough to protect the interests of generations yet to come.
Chemical use is also extensive in the meat industry, where factory farms subject pigs, chickens, and cows to a range of growth stimulants and antibiotics. This again raises concerns about the effects of chemical residue in our food, but factory farms raise other issues as well. For one, they are inefficient in that the amount of protein they produce in meat products is less than the amount of vegetable protein they consume in animal feed. In a world where millions of people die of starvation every year, Regan asks whether such a wasteful method of producing food is morally acceptable. Moreover, there is the question of the treatment of farm animals themselves. Factory farms condemn millions of conscious beings to lives of frustration and misery every year. For Regan, any morally serious examination of modern food production must take the treatment of these animals into consideration. Regan also raises moral questions regarding wild animals, which are increasingly endangered because of chemical contamination of the environment and habitat destruction caused by urban growth. Do animal species have a value independent to human interests (including economic interests) that makes their survival a good thing?
-According to the philosopher Rene Descartes, we have a duty to treat animals ethically.

Question 31

Tom Regan: We Are What We Eat
In "We Are What We Eat," Tom Regan discusses a number of health and environmental consequences of food production and identifies some of the moral questions these consequences raise. Regan begins by describing the extensive of use of chemicals such as pesticides, herbicides, and fertilizers in modern agriculture. Traces of these dangerous chemicals can remain in the food we eat and surface runoffs can contaminate the water we drink. Moreover, the industrial production of these chemicals in petrochemical plants pollutes the air we breathe and contributes to phenomena like acid rain and dead lakes. These effects threaten not only our own health, but that of future generations as well. Regan therefore asks whether we are doing enough to protect the interests of generations yet to come.
Chemical use is also extensive in the meat industry, where factory farms subject pigs, chickens, and cows to a range of growth stimulants and antibiotics. This again raises concerns about the effects of chemical residue in our food, but factory farms raise other issues as well. For one, they are inefficient in that the amount of protein they produce in meat products is less than the amount of vegetable protein they consume in animal feed. In a world where millions of people die of starvation every year, Regan asks whether such a wasteful method of producing food is morally acceptable. Moreover, there is the question of the treatment of farm animals themselves. Factory farms condemn millions of conscious beings to lives of frustration and misery every year. For Regan, any morally serious examination of modern food production must take the treatment of these animals into consideration. Regan also raises moral questions regarding wild animals, which are increasingly endangered because of chemical contamination of the environment and habitat destruction caused by urban growth. Do animal species have a value independent to human interests (including economic interests) that makes their survival a good thing?
-According to Regan, vegetarianism may be morally required in light of global hunger.

Question 32

Tom Regan: We Are What We Eat
In "We Are What We Eat," Tom Regan discusses a number of health and environmental consequences of food production and identifies some of the moral questions these consequences raise. Regan begins by describing the extensive of use of chemicals such as pesticides, herbicides, and fertilizers in modern agriculture. Traces of these dangerous chemicals can remain in the food we eat and surface runoffs can contaminate the water we drink. Moreover, the industrial production of these chemicals in petrochemical plants pollutes the air we breathe and contributes to phenomena like acid rain and dead lakes. These effects threaten not only our own health, but that of future generations as well. Regan therefore asks whether we are doing enough to protect the interests of generations yet to come.
Chemical use is also extensive in the meat industry, where factory farms subject pigs, chickens, and cows to a range of growth stimulants and antibiotics. This again raises concerns about the effects of chemical residue in our food, but factory farms raise other issues as well. For one, they are inefficient in that the amount of protein they produce in meat products is less than the amount of vegetable protein they consume in animal feed. In a world where millions of people die of starvation every year, Regan asks whether such a wasteful method of producing food is morally acceptable. Moreover, there is the question of the treatment of farm animals themselves. Factory farms condemn millions of conscious beings to lives of frustration and misery every year. For Regan, any morally serious examination of modern food production must take the treatment of these animals into consideration. Regan also raises moral questions regarding wild animals, which are increasingly endangered because of chemical contamination of the environment and habitat destruction caused by urban growth. Do animal species have a value independent to human interests (including economic interests) that makes their survival a good thing?
-According to economic theories of value, animal species have intrinsic value.