Cultivated Meat: A New Lifeworld for Human Beings

Abstract

 Several reports indicate that industrial animal agriculture significantly contributes to environmental pollution, resources depletion and the suffering of billions of animals. With the rising global demand for animal protein, partly driven by changing diets in countries like China and India, there is an increasing interest in more sustainable and humane alternatives. In this context, cultivated meat has emerged as one of the most promising food technologies for mitigating the impact of conventional meat production. In the first two paragraphs, the article briefly describes what is cultivated meat and what impact it may have on the environment and non-human animal wellbeing as well as the technical and socio-economic challenges it poses. In the third paragraph, it succinctly examines some positions from the ethical debate, with particular attention to Singer’s consequentialism and Francione’s abolitionist approach. Francione’s negative conclusions closely align with certain versions of virtue ethics. Paragraphs 4 and 5 will examine two such positions, specifically those of Carlo Alvaro and Ben Bramble, which have significantly influenced reflections in the field. In paragraph 6, contrasting the pessimistic views of Alvaro and Bramble, the article will present cultivated meat as a new opportunity for reshaping the human lifeworld. The final paragraph will discuss five key elements associated with cultivated meat and its moral implications.