I have loved Orr's other books and looked forward to enjoying this one. It is perhaps the most intellectual of her volumes, discussing various philosophical ideas relating to ethics and morality, their influence on society, and asking hard questions about what it means to live one's beliefs rather than just express them. The early chapters lay the foundation by exploring philosophical concepts relevant to ethics and can make for tedious reading if you aren't that interested in the history of philosophical thought. This is, after all, supposed to be a book on Pagan ethics. The latter half of the book is arguably the more interesting, as Orr zeroes in on particular issues and applies the worldview she has crafted to such areas as suicide, euthanasia, use of animals for food, and environmental stewardship. Unfortunately, the second half also takes on more of a propagandist feel by using misleading and inaccurate statements to support Orr's positions. This, along with a pervasive criticism of all aspects of Western society (apparently, she finds nothing praiseworthy about it. Personally, I think modern dentistry and surgical techniques are two darn good advances) and a tendency to make broad statements without citing any supporting evidence, completely put me off this book.
Let me be clear, it isn't the underlying positions themselves that I take issue with. I actually agree with many of them, and where I don't, I still respect her point of view. Rather, it is her use of unfounded assertions and distorted or inaccurate information that bothers me. Just a few examples: out of the blue, she claims that telecommunications companies are "corrupt," but doesn't explain why she thinks this. She writes that "protests against corporate abuses of the environment," (among other things) "have been squashed as compromising national security," but provides no justification for this position. In addition to the general comments, some of her more specific statements do not hold up under investigation. She says that calves are castrated without anesthesia, yet a websearch revealed that in the UK, anesthesia is required when they are older than two months, and that many European countries require anesthesia at any age. She also doesn't mention that non-surgical methods exist which don't necessitate anesthesia. She claims that excessive protein consumption causes kidney disease, obesity, and calcium deficiency, when in fact, protein causes NONE of these. High protein diets are only a problem for people who already have kidney dysfunction. Healthy kidneys can handle it. The dietary culprit involved with obesity is excessive intake of sugars and fats, which pack a large number of calories in small doses, and, in the case of high fructose corn syrup, is problematic for the body to metabolize. Calcium-deficiency is caused by inadequate intake. Here, Orr is confusing calcium deficiency with bone loss, which does occur with high protein diets, but only when calcium consumption is too low. Research has shown that in the presence of sufficient calcium (800-1200mg per day), bone density actually increases with a high protein diet because protein stimulates the production of cells that create new bone. My point with all this is that Orr makes a number of assertions in this book that are debatable if not outright wrong.
"Living with Honor" started out as a promising treatise on ethics, morality, and honorable Pagan living, but is ultimately marred by her bias against Western society and numerous instances of distorted and unproven assertions. I give it three stars for the premise, but otherwise did not like the book.
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Major Contribution to Pagan Community today!
Reviewed in the United States on July 19, 2016
I have purchased the Kindle version and over half-way through it. I sincerely feel it is just what was needed at this time and comes from one of the wisest authors in the Pagan community! It is very well written, clearly articulated for such a subject and very well researched! I truly admire the author for being bold, wise and deeply concerned with the Integrity of Pagan Ethics in todays context! Thank You!Dan Shelton, Ph.D (Member of The Order of Bards, Ovates and Druids).
Reviewed in the United States on July 19, 2016
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Dan Shelton, Ph.D (Member of The Order of Bards, Ovates and Druids).
Major Contribution to Pagan Community today!
Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on July 19, 2016
I have purchased the Kindle version and over half-way through it. I sincerely feel it is just what was needed at this time and comes from one of the wisest authors in the Pagan community! It is very well written, clearly articulated for such a subject and very well researched! I truly admire the author for being bold, wise and deeply concerned with the Integrity of Pagan Ethics in todays context! Thank You!Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on July 19, 2016
Dan Shelton, Ph.D (Member of The Order of Bards, Ovates and Druids).
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