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Food for Thought: The Debate over Eating Meat (Contemporary Issues (Prometheus)) [Paperback]

Steve F. Sapontzis
5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)


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Book Description

May 1, 2004 Contemporary Issues (Prometheus)
For anyone who has ever wondered about the ethics of killing animals for food, this is the definitive collection of essays on the ethical debate. Written by internationally recognized scholars on both sides of the debate, the provocative articles here compiled will give vegetarians and meat-eaters a thorough grounding in all aspects of this controversial issue.
After an introduction to the nature of the debate by editor Steve F. Sapontzis, Daniel Dombrowski reviews the history of vegetarianism. There follows a discussion of health issues and what anthropology has to tell us about human diet. Also included are the classic cases for vegetarianism from philosophers Peter Singer and Tom Regan, and new essays rebutting those classic positions from humanists Roger Scruton and Carl Cohen, among others. Various scholars then examine religious teachings about eating animals, which are drawn from Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, as well as Native American and Eastern traditions. Finally, Carol J. Adams, Deanne Curtin, and Val Plumwood, among other outstanding advocates, debate the ethics of eating meat in connection with feminism, environmentalism, and multiculturalism.
Containing virtually a "Who’s Who" of philosophers, social critics, environmentalists, feminists, and religious scholars who have participated in the vegetarianism debate over the past quarter century, this outstanding anthology of expert articles, most of them new, provides the latest thinking on a subject of increasing public interest.


Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Steve F. Sapontzis (Ft. Bragg, CA), now retired, was professor of philosophy at California State University for over 25 years. He is the author of Morals, Reason, and Animals, and numerous articles on animal rights.

Product Details

  • Paperback: 386 pages
  • Publisher: Prometheus Books (May 1, 2004)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 1591021189
  • ISBN-13: 978-1591021186
  • Product Dimensions: 5.9 x 0.8 x 9.1 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
  • Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #82,046 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
I'm an academic, and I originally picked up this anthology for possible use in a class I'm teaching on philosophical issues surrounding food. Vegetarianism has become a very common applied ethics issue, and there are numerous textbooks, anthologies, and books by single authors available. When I was evaluating books, I took the following things into account:
(1) Since this book would be for a class, I wanted something that presented a variety of perspectives.
(2) Since I'm a philosopher, I care a lot about good arguments and clear writing.
(3) And since the class would be focused on food, I didn't want something that spent too much time on issues like animals in research or zoos. Similarly, the arguments against vegetarianism shouldn't just be against more general notions, like animal rights.
(4) I also care about the amount of money my students have to pay for their textbooks. $100+ for a collection of articles published elsewhere is, I think, extortionate. This is especially important since I'm going to use the book for just a few weeks in a more general class; I would hate for my students to pay a lot of money for something that's only used briefly.

This particular book is excellent in all four respects.

(1) The book comprises 29 essays and an introduction by the editor, organized into 7 sections, on topics ranging from nutrition to religion to feminism and multiculturalism. Each essay is about 10 pages long. 11 (35%) of the 32 authors are women, which may not sound great until your realize that only about 20% of professional philosophers are women. In terms of number of essays, the book does lean notably towards the pro-vegetarian side of the debate. In my opinion, this is because vegetarians generally have the stronger side of the argument; however, since I've been vegetarian for over 13 years, you should take that with a grain of salt! The pro-carnivore side of the argument is represented with a few innovative and thoughtful essays. I especially enjoyed Roger Scruton's traditionalist argument for eating animals and some of the essays from environmentalist and multiculturalist perspectives.

(2) The authors are almost all academics, mostly philosophers from the US, and the writing style and standards are exactly what I was looking for. The lack of activists may make the readings a little dry, but they are certainly not dispassionate.

(3) All of the essays deal directly with vegetarianism in some way or another. No zoos, no animal research; just eating meat. For my purposes, this book does not waste either paper or my student's money.

(4) I've had very good experiences with the publisher of this book, Prometheus Press. Prometheus's volumes are generally quite inexpensive, and this book follows that trend, costing on the order of $15-20 new. The binding is a *little* flimsy, and I worry that my instructor's copy might wear out quickly over several years. But it's perfect for students, who only need the book to last a semester.

All together, there are more comprehensive anthologies that would be appropriate for a class that focused, for example, on various ethical issues surrounding animals, or on more general issues of animal rights and animal welfare. But, for a class that spends 3-8 weeks on vegetarianism, this book is pretty much perfect.
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars Mind feast November 28, 2011
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
Wonderful, dense, philosophical discussions for the conscious foodie. My mind opened and closed, decided, changed it's mind, turned inside out, flipped several times and is decidedly enriched by this tome.
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5.0 out of 5 stars A LARGELY PRO-VEGETARIAN COLLECTION OF ESSAYS July 24, 2012
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
Unlike many other "well-balanced" collections of pro/con essays published by Prometheus, this one is fairly much weighted toward the pro-vegetarian/vegan; however, it presents an interesting variety of different viewpoints WITHIN this side of the debate. Essays by some of the "big names" are included, such as Peter Singer, Tom Regan, Andrew Linzey, and Carol J. Adams.

One essayist notes that "even in people who define themselves as atheists, vegetarianism may retain the character of an absolute imperative, a prophylactic against pollution that has all the marks of pious observance." (Pg. 81) He later answers the question of "why life should be sacrificed, just for this?" by replying, "the life that is sacrificed would not exist, but for the sacrifice." (Pg. 90)

Another essayist argues that "There can be no moral objection to mutually beneficial, ecologically responsible human-nonhuman relationships. Milk and eggs can be exchanged for shelter, food, and care. I know a number of people living on 'no kill' farms who treat their chickens, cows, and goats with respect and warmth." (Pg. 96)

Still another notes that "in view of the inevitable increase in the cost of meat and meat products that would be entailed by the far-reaching reforms needed in agricultural practices, it seems inevitable, though unfair, that the poor will carry the heaviest burden. Social conscience has its costs. If needed reforms were to be implemented, they would end the age of the cheap hamburger meal." (Pg. 322)

This book has an unusually wide variety of arguments and a broad range of discussion, and will be of considerable value to persons on all sides of the various issues.
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