The Meat Paradox | Rob Percival | TEDxLondonBusinessSchool
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- Опубликовано: 30 сен 2024
- Join Rob Percival in this thought-provoking TEDx talk as he delves into the our eating habits and the emotional and ethical complexities surrounding our relationship with meat. Drawing from his expertise in food policy, Percival explores the evolutionary origins of the meat paradox and how our cultural narratives sustain our omnivory. With the recent surge in popularity of veganism challenging the status quo, the question of whether or not we should eat animals has become a prominent issue in our society. This talk is essential viewing for anyone interested in the ethics of meat consumption and the evolution of our cultural attitudes towards food. "The Meat Paradox"
Rob Percival is a writer, campaigner and food policy expert. His commentary on food and farming has featured in the national press and on prime time television, and his writing has been shortlisted for the Guardian’s International Development Journalism Prize and the Thomson Reuters Foundation’s Food Sustainability Media Award.
His first book, The Meat Paradox, which explores the cognitive and cultural complexity of animal consumption, was published in 2022. Described by the Financial Times as ‘provocative, original and electrifying’, The Meat Paradox was serialised by BBC Radio 4 as their ‘Book of the Week’ in January of 2023.
Rob works for the Soil Association, an organisation advocating for organic and regenerative food and farming. As the organisation’s Head of Food Policy, he leads campaigns and influencing in support of dietary change and food system transformation. This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at www.ted.com/tedx
Animal agriculture uses 83% of farmland and only provides 18% of calories. When we switch to a plant based food system, we can restore/reforest 76% of farmland AND be able to feed everyone. -J. Poore, Oxford, journal Science
Here’s a set of questions designed to explore the psychological reasoning behind eating meat while claiming to care about animals, and to gently guide someone toward questioning and possibly resolving the meat paradox:
**Understanding Their Perspective**
1. **Empathy and Care**:
- *Do you consider yourself someone who cares about animals?*
- *Can you share some examples of how you show care and compassion toward animals?*
2. **Personal Beliefs and Actions**:
- *How do you reconcile your care for animals with the decision to eat them?*
- *Have you ever thought about the process that brings meat to your plate? How does that make you feel?*
3. **Cultural and Social Influences**:
- *What role do you think culture and tradition play in your decision to eat meat?*
- *Were you raised with the belief that eating meat is necessary or normal? How do you feel about that belief now?*
4. **Awareness and Information**:
- *Are you aware of the conditions in which animals are raised and slaughtered for food?*
- *Do you think it’s important to be informed about where your food comes from? Why or why not?*
### **Gently Challenging the Paradox**
5. **Cognitive Dissonance**:
- *Do you ever feel conflicted about eating meat, knowing it comes from animals that had to suffer and die?*
- *How do you usually resolve any discomfort or guilt you might feel about this?*
6. **Dissociation and Strategic Ignorance**:
- *When you eat meat, do you think of it as coming from an animal, or do you try not to think about it? Why do you think that is?*
- *Do you find it easier to eat meat if you don’t think about the animal behind it?*
7. **Custom and Hedonism**:
- *How much do you think your enjoyment of the taste of meat influences your decision to eat it?*
- *Have you ever considered whether your dietary habits are more about personal pleasure than necessity?*
8. **Marginalization of Empathy**:
- *Do you believe that some animals deserve more empathy than others? Why?*
- *How do you feel when you see people treating animals with cruelty or indifference? Does it change how you think about your own food choices?*
### **Guiding Toward Resolution**
9. **Exploring Alternatives**:
- *Have you ever tried plant-based alternatives to meat? If so, what was your experience? If not, what has held you back?*
- *Would you be willing to explore a diet that aligns more closely with your values of caring for animals?*
10. **Reflecting on Values**:
- *What would it mean to you to live in a way that fully aligns with your values of compassion and nonviolence?*
- *How would you feel knowing that your dietary choices no longer contribute to animal suffering?*
11. **Considering Change**:
- *If you could continue to enjoy delicious and satisfying meals without harming animals, would you consider making a change?*
- *What do you think would be the biggest challenge in moving away from meat? How might you overcome it?*
12. **Personal Reflection**:
- *How do you think future generations will view the practice of eating animals? Do you think our society will move toward more plant-based diets?*
- *What would it mean to you personally to be part of a movement that reduces harm to animals and promotes a more compassionate world?*
These questions are designed to be reflective and non-confrontational, encouraging the person to explore their own beliefs and feelings without feeling judged or pressured. The goal is to foster a deeper understanding and create an opening for change.
amazing. i want everyone to watch.
interesting.
Gotta say, I'm struggling to see how this relates to Don't Feed the Muse
Few things are more human than hunting and eating prey, it pre-dates our evolution. I don't see the empathy we have with our prey as the problem. The disconnect between the eating and the process by which that food was made available is a problem. I hunt and raise my own animals for food. How they live and how they die is important to me. Those who consider they haven't killed animals yet eat either farm raise vegetables or meat are delusional. Life comes from death.
The problem is that the developed world doesn't need meat anymore. We can literally just pop a single pill once every week or even month and let an adequate diet solve the rest of our nutritional needs. Today, every day, we're killing for pleasure, not necessity, and that fact destroys all the justifications for meat-eating that don't require one to sound like a psychopath to make.
Why are we the only animal that needs to cook the animals before consuming? Shouldn't this have been resolved through evolution?
Humans, like all hominids and primates, are frugivores. Try hunting with your natural tools, blunt fingers (no claws) and blunt teeth (no fangs), and eat the victim raw and unseasoned like natural omnivores.
Hunting others for life/death situations might be justified, but that's not the situation most are in. Causing others easily unnecessary suffering is not morally justified.
I also grow my own food on a veganic permaculture farm. ✌️🧑🌾
You talk of something that is not remotely scalable to feed more than a tiny minority of the population.
Hunting by 8 billion would need the skills, location and above all many planets the size of earth.
This is why the meat paradox exists. We know we can't all do what you describe so we turn to supermarkets and factory farms to enable our ever increasing consumption. Then, the more we consume, the more we normalise the killing and can feel comfortable with it.
There are over 4,000+ Factory "Game" Farms (in just the US) that breed deer and other animals for 'hunters' to [unnecessarily] kill. -North American Deer Farmers Association