Vegetarians are smarter than meat eaters

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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around a study suggesting that vegetarians may have higher average IQ scores compared to meat eaters. Participants explore the implications of the study, the validity of its claims, and the potential factors influencing the results, including environmental and demographic considerations.

Discussion Character

  • Debate/contested
  • Exploratory
  • Technical explanation
  • Conceptual clarification

Main Points Raised

  • Some participants reference a study claiming vegetarians average 5 IQ points higher than meat eaters, but question the causative relationship between diet and IQ.
  • Others suggest that the environment may play a significant role, noting that more intelligent individuals may gravitate towards vegetarianism in open-minded settings.
  • A few participants challenge the interpretation of IQ scores, arguing that the reported averages are not indicative of high intelligence and highlight the inclusion of non-vegetarian foods by some self-identified vegetarians.
  • Concerns are raised about the study's methodology, including demographic factors and the potential for skewed data due to the smaller vegetarian population.
  • Some participants express skepticism about the study's conclusions, labeling it as "meaningless" or questioning the margin of error and the representativeness of the sample.
  • Humorous remarks and personal anecdotes are shared, with some participants joking about the implications of being a meat eater or vegetarian.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants do not reach a consensus on the validity of the study or its implications. Multiple competing views remain regarding the relationship between diet and intelligence, as well as the interpretation of the study's findings.

Contextual Notes

Limitations include unresolved questions about the study's methodology, the demographics of participants, and the definitions of vegetarianism used in the study. There is also uncertainty regarding the impact of environmental factors on the results.

Who May Find This Useful

This discussion may be of interest to those exploring the relationship between diet and cognitive abilities, as well as individuals curious about the implications of dietary choices on intelligence and social perceptions.

  • #121
lunarmansion said:
My favorite vegetarians were Pythagoras and Leonardo.

Ben Franklin is my favorite vegetarian. I have heard this quote attributed to him but I don't have any citations.

Old Ben said; "Fart proudly"
 
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  • #122
Skyhunter said:
Ben Franklin is my favorite vegetarian. I have heard this quote attributed to him but I don't have any citations.

Old Ben said; "Fart proudly"

Ben was great wasn't he? I named my youngest son after him.
 
  • #123
Skyhunter said:
Dirt is also a very good source of B12, but I dropped that from my diet when I was two or three years old. Although I still sometimes eat fresh roots with only a cursory rinsing.

Ever hear of parasitic worms? :eek: Have you ever clensed your colon? An excellent way to get parasitic worms is to eat some dirt. I scrub my vegetables thoroughly to make sure no worms are living on the surface and that goes for roots too.

I don't care for the fat in animal meat, but fish is just fine with me. Fish oil is excellent nutrition for the brain. Coupled with ginko to open the fine blood vessals I can get a lot more milage out of my brain and with bilberry that gets down to the very smallest blood vessals, to open them, it is also very benificial for the eyes. (btw don't waste bilberry by taking it in a cap. Brake it open and savor the flavor and the saliva will make it digest better too.)

My quid pro quo
 
  • #124
Lets face it people, we all eat different things and nothing is going to change that. I eat meat but I also respect the people who don't. And critisizing one another doesn't help; I will continue to eat meat the vegies will do what they do- its all a matter of choice. And for the animal rights activist all I got to say is: we are the dominate spieces. If the bears were at the top of food chain, I'm sure they wouldn't hesitate to eat us.
 
  • #125
Heck, bears won't hesitate to eat us as it is.
 
  • #126
:smile: :smile: :smile:
 
  • #127
Weave said:
And for the animal rights activist all I got to say is: we are the dominate spieces.
Well just because we can do something does not mean we have to.
What about fois gras for instance?
So we are dominant, so we can stuff animals to get a bigger liver, that's all there is to it?
 
  • #128
Weave said:
I will continue to eat meat the vegies will do what they do- its all a matter of choice. And for the animal rights activist all I got to say is: we are the dominate spieces. If the bears were at the top of food chain, I'm sure they wouldn't hesitate to eat us.

If the bears would be on top of the food chain, would you be happy to sit on bars in a steel cage for your whole life having nothing to do, and be eaten one day. Or would you rather have that the bear ate you one day when you were not expecting it?
 
  • #129
Monique said:
If the bears would be on top of the food chain, would you be happy to sit on bars in a steel cage for your whole life having nothing to do, and be eaten one day. Or would you rather have that the bear ate you one day when you were not expecting it?
Good point. When people give me crap about hunting deer, I point out that at least the deer have had a good life in freedom, and I only take a sure killing shot (I hunt with a single-shot rifle, so no quick second shot is available). In contrast the cows and pigs that they eat have spent all their lives in captivity, often with little exercise and no chance to forage for the food that THEY want. I think the deer have the better end of the deal.
 
  • #130
turbo-1 said:
Good point. When people give me crap about hunting deer, I point out that at least the deer have had a good life in freedom, and I only take a sure killing shot (I hunt with a single-shot rifle, so no quick second shot is available). In contrast the cows and pigs that they eat have spent all their lives in captivity, often with little exercise and no chance to forage for the food that THEY want. I think the deer have the better end of the deal.

that in no way justifies why you should kill a deer .. :rolleyes:
 
  • #131
Dr.Brain said:
that in no way justifies why you should kill a deer .. :rolleyes:
For food, instead of going to the store and buying food that somebody else has harvested and packed for you. If you eat meat or use products derived from domesticated animals, you should be willing to get your hands dirty - then you will gain respect for the animals you exploit.
 
  • #132
Monique said:
If the bears would be on top of the food chain, would you be happy to sit on bars in a steel cage for your whole life having nothing to do, and be eaten one day. Or would you rather have that the bear ate you one day when you were not expecting it?
Ask the bear which he prefers...
 
  • #133
Weave said:
If the bears were at the top of food chain, I'm sure they wouldn't hesitate to eat us.

Yeah, and I'm sure Winnie the Pooh wouldn't be so popular among kids. :frown: :biggrin:
 
  • #134
russ_watters said:
Ask the bear which he prefers...

The bear gets his food either way.
 
  • #135
radou said:
Yeah, and I'm sure Winnie the Pooh wouldn't be so popular among kids. :frown: :biggrin:

What bears eat? Hunny, of course, but watch out: When having a smackerel of something with a friend, don't eat so much that you get stuck in the doorway trying to get out. bears of very little brain must not forget that.
 
  • #136
Skyhunter said:
Ben Franklin is my favorite vegetarian.
Although he reduced the amount of meat he ate, he was not actually a vegetarian, that's a false assumption many have made.

"Ben was a vegetarian. False. Evidence suggests young Franklin was adverse to killing animals for food. He also figured vegetables cost less than meat, so he could spend more of his earnings on books. His diet wasn’t completely meat and fish free, though.

http://www.udel.edu/PR/UDaily/2005/mar/franklin061605.html

"The following February, Franklin wrote again to Collinson,
announcing his decidedly mixed results. “Please to acquaint
[William Watson] that we made several experiments on fowls
this winter,” he began, proceeding to describe precisely how
strong a shock had killed a chicken. “But the turkeys,” he
continued, “though thrown into violent convulsions, and then
lying as dead for some minutes, would recover in less than a
quarter of an hour.” Using several Leyden jars together, he
finally managed to killed a turkey “of about 10 lb. wt. and
suppose they would have killed a much larger. I conceit that
the birds killed in this manner eat uncommonly tender.”18

http://caliber.ucpress.net/doi/pdfplus/10.1525/gfc.2006.6.4.19

"When Franklin was about 16, he met “with a book written by one Tryon, recommending a vegetable diet,” (Franklin, Autobiography) which he promptly stuck to, more or less, for the next three years, and which he returned to for brief spells throughout his life. In addition, he repeats endlessly over the years his recommendation for moderation in eating: “Be temperate in Wine, in eating, Girls, and Sloth, or the Gout will sieze you and plague you both” (Poor Richard’s Almanack, 1734)"

http://www.benfranklin300.com/etc_article_foods.htm
 
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