"It's hard to believe that you're not really judging" I said I didn't write the post from a standpoint of judging, not that I never judge. We're all judging on a regular basis, it's impossible not to, and perfectly healthy. It's how we decide how to act - by judging people and situations. If there's any other judgment implied, it's in the same way I'm judging a human who murders another human and eats them. Almost all the harm in killing a human is present in the killing of a pig, dog, goat, etc. Somehow, many people see one as terrible (worthy of punishment by life in prison or death), and one as completely fine. I see a very thin line between the two acts. I judge that needlessly killing humans is only marginally worse than needlessly killing other animals. It's just my opinion, of course. Nobody knows for sure what right and wrong actually are. We have to do the best we can with finite ideas and words. Your own judgments form your own opinion. Also keep in mind the quote you selected is specifically talking about the 'crime' of contributing to the factory farming of billions of sentient mammals, not a broader meaning. "Do you think it is unethical to eat animals outside of (presumably wild) animals attained by hunting?" I consider it unethical to contribute to the factory farming of mammals, and probably birds, too. We no longer eat them to survive, we farm them for pleasure and profit, and they suffer in many ways just as deeply as humans. I don't see how anyone sees it as ethical in any way. I may be a little early in my thinking about this, but I don't think I'm wrong. Definitely appreciate the discussion though, the more the better. I guess you could answer the opposite of your own question: Is it ethical to farm and eat animals the way we do today?