Intro and Thesis

Throughout the history of man, there exist those humans that indulge on the flesh of other humans. These humans are known as cannibals. According to Roland Littlewood, there are three types of cannibalism: endocannibalism, exocannibalism, and survival cannibalism. endocannibalistic peoples, such as the Fore, believed it was unthinkable to eat the dead as if they were animals or enemies. During their cannibalistic ceremonies, the bodies were treated as delicately as possible. The deceased would be eaten slowly as to be mourned and their life celebrated. However, taking part in a mystic ritual, the exocannibals of Papua New Guinea (contrast to the Fore people) would devour their enemies in order to trap their souls as well as to gain super natural powers. These rituals involved torture and disembowelment of the prisoner of war in order to disgrace their body. With survival cannibalism, humans eat other humans to survive. The discussions in today’s society often evaluate the morality of cannibalistic rituals and cannibalism relevant to the survival instinct. In debating the morality of three types of cannibalism, endocannibalsim and survival cannibalism should be seen as morally acceptable. However, on the physically destructive level, it will be proven that only survival cannibalism will not cause physical harm to an individual. Society will provoke the idea that all cannibalism is wrong without any in depth study of the topic or circumstances that surround those who are or forced to become cannibals. Because survival cannibalism will satisfy both requirements along the lines of morality and physical health, it is the only acceptable form of cannibalism under the circumstances.