Unless he agrees to submit to random ETG and drug urine testing, I wouldn’t trust anything an alcoholic up for a highly-paid and powerful job says about sobriety.

I’ve read The Selfish Gene and also studied Biology, earning a BS in the process. One thing you fail to consider is your genes are diluted with each generation. Your children will have 50% of your genes, your grandchildren 25%, and their children will each have 12.5% of your precious genes. And lest you think your genes are somehow unique and valuable, most likely 100% of them already exist in other people.

You also fail to mention that Dawkins, rightfully concerned about those using his work to justify selfishness, explicitly discusses how, now that we know of these selfish-replicators, we can cultivate pure altruism - going against our biological programming and doing the right thing. That’s what people who choose not to have children are doing - they are acting in the best interests of humanity.

My ethical concerns go beyond raising animals, it’s the unnecessary killing them without their consent where it becomes problematic. Particularly when the “sacrifice” is for the trivial reason to satisfy the killer’s taste buds; when our taste buds can be satisfied in so many ways that don’t involve a victim.

And yes, I grew up on a farm where we raised all our own meat, including pigs. I’ve personally killed more animals than the average person, and I can say with certainty that every animal wants to live. To violently take another’s life “because it tastes good” and then go through such convuluted reasoning to justify it is very puzzling to me. It suggests a lack of empathy that seems to be endemic in our society. To speak of “the love” that is involved in the process doesn’t hold much weight with me. Serial killers love to kill, don’t they?

I haven’t eaten meat for over thirty years and feel great! Diet is a big part, but I also regularly exercise.

Plenty of foods are delicious.

So ethics aren’t a concern for you. How about the adverse health effects, or environmental impacts of the meat industry? Any considerations there, or is all about how delicious steak is to you?

So you’re using the “Lions rape and murder, therefore it’s okay to do the same.” argument?

Weak.