The Question (ID Number 83)...

Awhile back I read a question that asked if being a vegetarian wouldn't be a good solution. I thought I understood you to say no. However, as I have talked to vegetarian friends and explored this more, I wonder if not buying meat in stores is a valid aspect of helping to solve the problem. Since so much of the world's agricultural production is tied up with raising and feeding cattle, it would help if people ate less or no commercially raised meat. It's not that eating meat is bad, just that the meat industry is a variation of the agricultural form.

...and the response:

Vegetarianism tends to solve the Malthusian problem ("How are we going to FEED all these people?") but tends to work against solving the Quinnian problem ("How are we going to stop PRODUCING all these people?") Vegetarianism would enable us to FEED more people; it would also enable us to PRODUCE more people. And, yes, the meat industry is "a variation of the agricultural form"---but so is the vegetable industry.