Moral vegetarians are vegetarians who do not eat meat for ethical concerns. This is in contrast to health vegetarians who do not eat meat for health reasons. The two clearly can overlap. The thought experiments here are designed specifically for the moral vegetarian in mind.

1) If we could breed or genetically engineer a species of cow that had no brain or functioning central nervous system, would moral vegetarians consider it acceptable to eat this cow’s meat?

2) If we could breed or genetically engineer a species of mushrooms that had a mottled pattern on its shell that resembled a smiley face, but which turned into a sad face when about to be eaten, would moral vegetarians consider it acceptable to eat this kind of mushroom?

3) If a certain kind of beans evolved to spell the words “Eat Me” on it, would moral vegetarians consider it acceptable to eat this kind of mushroom?

4) If a certain kind of pig evolved to spell the words “Eat Me” on it, would moral vegetarians consider it acceptable to eat this kind of pig?

5) If a species of masochistic chickens were found that kept trying to cause each other pain in natural settings and seemed to enjoy it, would it be okay to slaughter them?

6) If beans and all other kinds of vegetables evolved to spell “Don’t Eat Me” on them, would moral vegetarians consider it acceptable to eat vegetables?

7) If the words in above scenarios were only in Chinese, would their decisions change?

8) If the words in above scenarios were in a language of mottled spots that no one could understand, would their decisions change?