Deep vegetarianism / Michael Allen Fox.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Fox, Michael Allen.

Series:

America in transition (Philadelphia, Pa.)

America in transition : radical perspectives

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Vegetarianism.

Vegetarianism--Moral and ethical aspects.

Physical Description:

xxii, 234 pages ; 22 cm.

Place of Publication:

Philadelphia : Temple University Press, 1999.

Summary:

Deep Vegetarianism challenges the basic assumptions of a meat-eating society while examining the different kinds of vegetarian commitments people make. In discussing the reasons, emotions, and experiences involved in choosing vegetarianism, established author and former animal-experimentation advocate Michael Allen Fox considers such issues as good health, the meaning of food, world hunger, religion, and spirituality. Fox includes in this comprehensive examination of vegetarian life responses to arguments made by meat-eating advocates, addressing their claims that humans are natural carnivores and that animals are replaceable. In addition, he moves readers to discover the link between vegetarianism and other human rights movements and ideologies, not the least of which is feminism.

Contents:

1 A Historical-Philosophical Overview 1

1. Learning from the History of Vegetarianism 1

2. Antiquity and the Special Case of Porphyry 5

3. From Medieval Times to the Modern Era 13

2 You Are What You Eat (Almost): The Meaning of Food 23

1. Food Symbolism 23

2. The Meaning of Meat 25

3. Vegetarian Meanings 32

3 Compartmentalization of Thought and Feeling

and the Burden of Proof 39

1. The Compartmentalization Phenomenon 39

2. Inconsistency 44

3. Failing to See Connections 46

4. A Brief Case Study: Environmental Ethicists and Meat-Eating 47

5. Reversing the Burden of Proof 51

4 Vegetarian Outlooks 54

1. Types of Vegetarianism 54

2. Experiences, Emotions, and Vegetarianism 56

3. Grounds for Vegetarianism 60

4. The Moral Status of Animals 61

5 Arguments for Vegetarianism: I 65

2. Good Health 66

3. Animal Suffering and Death 76

4. Impartiality, or Disinterested Moral Concern 80

6 Arguments for Vegetarianism: II 84

1. The Environmental Impact of Meat Production 84

2. The Manipulation of Nature 88

3. World Hunger and Injustice 95

4. Interconnected Forms of Oppression 100

5. Common Threads 111

7 Arguments for Vegetarianism: III 113

1. Wisdom Traditions and Modern Parallels 113

2. Interspecies Kinship and Compassion 115

3. Universal Nonviolence (Ahimsa) 124

4. Earthdwelling: Native Peoples' Spirituality 129

5. Major Religions and Minority Voices 133

6. Vegetarian Building Blocks 139

8 Arguments Against Vegetarianism 140

1. The Consequences of Vegetarianism 140

2. Humans as Natural Carnivores 147

3. Animals as Replaceable 150

4. An Ecological Objection 153

5. The Necessity of Killing 155

6. A Feminist Critique of Vegetarianism 156

7. Indigenous Peoples, Cultural Imperialism, and Meat-Eating 159

8. Preventing Carnivorous Behavior in Nature 163

9. Eating Shmoos and Other Consenting or Indifferent Animals 164

10. Why Not Eat Free-Range Animals? 168

11. The Requirement of Moral Sainthood 169

12. Some Observations 173

9 Conscience and Change 175

1. The Vegetarian Conscience 175

2. Vegetarianism or Veganism? 178

3. New Directions and Creative Thinking 180

4. A Way of Life 181.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references (pages 215-226) and index.

ISBN:

1566397049

1566397057

OCLC:

40489353