@tommyboyle I should have clarified in the article; I was referring to the NAP in regard to humans (beings of conscience) and animals. The animals do not operate on the same level of consciousness as us; they are incapable of intellectualizing the NAP because they are driven by instinct and survival. A bear does not eat a fish for pleasure or for greed, it does so for survival. Same with the Hawk, Lion, and other predators. We, as beings of an evolved intellectual capacity, have the free will every time we step into a supermarket to purchase a product that does not involve the suffering of animals. We do not need to eat meat to survive, however, we still choose to do so for selfish reasons - taste, smell, pleasure. I'd highly recommend the documentary Earthlings, which you can find on YouTube, to shed some more light on the way we treat animals for our own pleasure.