Dialogues on Ethical Vegetarianism


Michael Huemer - 2019
    The issues they cover include: how intelligence affects the badness of pain, whether consumers are responsible for the practices of an industry, how individual choices affect an industry, whether farm animals are better off living on factory farms than not existing at all, whether meat-eating is natural, whether morality protects those who cannot understand morality, whether morality protects those who are not members of society, whether humans alone possess souls, whether different creatures have different degrees of consciousness, why extreme animal welfare positions "sound crazy," and the role of empathy in moral judgment.The two students go on to discuss the vegan life, why people who accept the arguments in favor of veganism often fail to change their behavior, and how vegans should interact with non-vegans.A foreword, by Peter Singer, introduces and provides context for the dialogues, and a final annotated bibliography offers a list of sources related to the discussion. It offers abstracts of the most important books and articles related to the ethics of vegetarianism and veganism.

Practical Ethics


Peter Singer - 1979
    For this second edition the author has revised all the existing chapters, added two new ones, and updated the bibliography. He has also added an appendix describing some of the deep misunderstanding of and consequent violent reaction to the book in Germany, Austria, and Switzerland where the book has tested the limits of freedom of speech. The focus of the book is the application of ethics to difficult and controversial social questions.

Eating Animals


Jonathan Safran Foer - 2009
    Once he started a family, the moral dimensions of food became increasingly important.Faced with the prospect of being unable to explain why we eat some animals and not others, Foer set out to explore the origins of many eating traditions and the fictions involved with creating them. Traveling to the darkest corners of our dining habits, Foer raises the unspoken question behind every fish we eat, every chicken we fry, and every burger we grill.Part memoir and part investigative report, Eating Animals is a book that, in the words of the Los Angeles Times, places Jonathan Safran Foer "at the table with our greatest philosophers."

The Face on Your Plate: The Truth About Food


Jeffrey Moussaieff Masson - 2009
    It raises questions to make us conscious of the decisions behind every bite we take: What effect does eating animals have on our land, waters, even global warming? What are the results of farming practices—debeaking chickens and separating calves from their mothers—on animals and humans? How does the health of animals affect the health of our planet and our bodies? And uniquely, as a psychoanalyst, Masson investigates how denial keeps us from recognizing the animal at the end of our fork—think pig, not bacon—and each food and those that are forbidden. The Face on intellectual, psychological, and emotional expertise over the last twenty years into the pivotal book of the food revolution.

Slaughterhouse: The Shocking Story of Greed, Neglect, And Inhumane Treatment Inside the U.S. Meat Industry


Gail A. Eisnitz - 1997
    It is also the first time ever that workers have spoken publicly about what’s really taking place behind the closed doors of America’s slaughterhouses. In this new paperback edition, author Gail A. Eisnitz brings the story up to date since the book’s original publication. She describes the ongoing efforts by the Humane Farming Association to improve conditions in the meatpacking industry, media exposés that have prompted reforms resulting in multimillion dollar appropriations by Congress to try to enforce federal inspection laws, and a favorable decision by the Supreme Court to block construction of what was slated to be one of the largest hog factory farms in the country. Nonetheless, Eisnitz makes it clear that abuses continue and much work still needs to be done.

Thanking the Monkey: Rethinking the Way We Treat Animals


Karen Dawn - 2008
    No longer a fringe extremist cause, it has become a social concern that leading members of society endorse and young people embrace. From Michael Vick's dog fighting scandal to the incredible success of the bestselling Skinny Bitch veggie diet book, animal rights issues have hit the headlines—and are being championed by students and senators, pop stars and producers, and actors and activists.Don't you want to be part of the conversation? In Thanking the Monkey, Karen Dawn covers pets, fur, fashion, food, animal testing, activism, and more. But as the title playfully suggests, this isn't like any previous animal rights book. Thanking the Monkey is light on lectures meant to make you feel guilty if you're not a leather-eschewing vegan. It lets you have fun as you learn about Paul McCartney's love of lambs and why Prince won't wear wool. You'll meet Fall Out Boy's Andy Hurley and Pete Wentz—and their favorite traveling companion, Hemingway, Pete's dog. You'll read why Natalie Portman, Alicia Silverstone, and so many of those skinny but not bitchy actresses won't eat or wear animals. And you'll laugh over dozens of cartoons from Dan Piraro's Bizzaro to other animal-friendly comics.This fun primer for a smart and socially committed generation delivers some serious surprises in the form of facts and figures about the treatment of animals. Yes, it will shock you with tales of primates still used in animal testing on nicotine or killed for oven cleaner. But it will also let you lighten up and laugh a little as we work out how to do a better job of thanking the monkey.

The Inner World of Farm Animals: Their Amazing Intellectual, Emotional and Social Capacities


Amy Hatkoff - 2009
    Pigs are smarter than poodles. Cows form close friendships. Turkeys know one another by their voices, and sheep recognize faces—of other sheep, and of people. Far from lacking thoughts and feelings, barnyard creatures demonstrate sophisticated problem-solving abilities, possess rich social lives, and feel a wide range of emotions. In other words, they’re much like humans in countless ways. And, like us, they suffer physical pain and mental anguish. In The Inner World of Farm Animals, Amy Hatkoff combines the latest research on the emotional and intellectual capacities of farm animals with touching—and often surprising—stories to bring their inner world to life. Soulful photographs of cows, goats, lambs, and other barnyard animals complement the text, and add to the belief that these creatures deserve our attention. In this heartfelt book, Hatkoff joins the growing call for treating these sentient, aware beings with compassion and respect. "THE INNER WORLD OF FARM ANIMALS will surely change your mind about the emotional lives of these wonderful beings. Moving stories of Alice, a doting and dancing turkey, Hope and Johnny, two loving pigs, and Olivia, a goat with a wonderful personality, woven in with the latest scientific research, make it clear that we must stop abusing them and other hapless animals for our own selfish needs. The easiest way for us to increase our compassion footprint is to appreciate animals for who they are -- amazing individuals who care deeply about what happens to them." --Marc Bekoff, author of The Emotional Lives of Animals, Animals Matter, Animals at Play, and Wild Justice: The Moral Lives of Animals (with Jessica Pierce)  "All animal lovers will love this book. Farm animals are sentient and they have true emotions. The photography in the book is gorgeous."--Temple Grandin, author of Animals in Translation "A beautiful, evocative, and pretty much perfect book--this book will leave you changed for the better."--Rory Freedman, co-author of Skinny Bitch "This beautiful, well-researched book should make every meat-eater think differently about the lives of the animals that turn up on his or her plate."--Peter Singer "Amy Hatkoff's insightful book addresses a question we've finally started asking: just how evolved is our place in the food chain, anyway? It's time we realized we are dealing with sentient beings rather than assembly-line widgets. Books like this one point to a more enlightened road: the future depends on us taking it."--Dan Barber, Owner and Executive Chef, Blue Hill restaurants "The Inner World of Farm Animals brings together a fascinating mix of science and story-telling about the intelligence and emotional lives of farm animals. A treasure-trove book, which will delight, amaze, cause laughter and, possibly, a tear or two."--Joyce d’Silva, Compassion in World Farming.

Vegan Freak: Being Vegan in a Non-Vegan World


Bob Torres - 2005
    Loaded with tips, advice, stories, and comprehensive lists of resources that no vegan should live without, this book is key to helping you thrive as a happy, healthy, and sane vegan in a decidedly non-vegan world. Witty, opinionated, and eminently useful.

The Everything Vegan Pregnancy Book: All you need to know for a healthy pregnancy that fits your lifestyle


Reed Mangels - 2011
    Well, you can breathe a sigh of relief because a vegan pregnancy is not only possible, it's also healthy and completely safe. With this helpful guide, you will learn about all aspects of vegan pregnancy from conception to bringing home baby, including:Which foods to eat (and avoid!) to get optimum nutrients for you and babyHow to deal with disapproval from family and friendsMethods to ensure a vegan-friendly hospital birthSetting up a vegan nursery for the babyPacked with information for both moms and dads, including 150 nutritious and healthy recipes for the whole family, this book is the ultimate resource for parents who want the best for their baby--without sacrificing the vegan life!

Animal Ingredients A to Z


E.G. Smith Collective - 2001
    More and more, we find our everyday foods containing peculiar -ingredients—many of which are animal derived. As well as a comprehensive listing of animal ingredients, this easy-to-navigate guide contains supplemental information on vegan nutrition, food alternatives, and contact information for animal advocacy groups. Carol Adams, author of The Sexual Politics of Meat and Bruce Friedrich, director of Vegan Outreach at PETA, offer introductions to this newly expanded edition. Finally, consumers can brave the labels at their local market with confidence."Every vegan should own a copy of Animal Ingredients A to Z."—Erik Marcus, author off Vegan: The New Ethics of Eating.

Change of Heart: What Psychology Can Teach Us about Spreading Social Change


Nick Cooney - 2010
    Change of Heart: What Psychology Can Teach Us About Spreading Social Change brings this information to light so that non-profits, community organizers and others can make science-driven decisions in their advocacy work. The book examines more than eighty years of empirical research in areas including social psychology, communication studies, diffusion studies, network systems and social marketing, distilling the highlights into easy-to-use advice and serving as a psychology primer for anyone wanting to spread progressive social change.

A Plea for the Animals: The Moral, Philosophical, and Evolutionary Imperative to Treat All Beings with Compassion


Matthieu Ricard - 2014
    Every chicken just wants to be free. Every bear, dog, or mouse experiences sorrow and feels pain as intensely as any of us humans do. In a compelling appeal to reason and human kindness, Matthieu Ricard here takes the arguments from his best-sellers Altruism and Happiness to their logical conclusion: that compassion toward all beings, including our fellow animals, is a moral obligation and the direction toward which any enlightened society must aspire. He chronicles the appalling sufferings of the animals we eat, wear, and use for adornment or "entertainment," and submits every traditional justification for their exploitation to scientific evidence and moral scrutiny. What arises is an unambiguous and powerful ethical imperative for treating all of the animals with whom we share this planet with respect and compassion.

Every Twelve Seconds: Industrialized Slaughter and the Politics of Sight


Timothy Pachirat - 2011
    The author, political scientist Timothy Pachirat, was employed undercover for five months in a Great Plains slaughterhouse where 2,500 cattle were killed per day—one every twelve seconds. Working in the cooler as a liver hanger, in the chutes as a cattle driver, and on the kill floor as a food-safety quality-control worker, Pachirat experienced firsthand the realities of the work of killing in modern society. He uses those experiences to explore not only the slaughter industry but also how, as a society, we facilitate violent labor and hide away that which is too repugnant to contemplate.Through his vivid narrative and ethnographic approach, Pachirat brings to life massive, routine killing from the perspective of those who take part in it. He shows how surveillance and sequestration operate within the slaughterhouse and in its interactions with the community at large. He also considers how society is organized to distance and hide uncomfortable realities from view. With much to say about issues ranging from the sociology of violence and modern food production to animal rights and welfare, Every Twelve Seconds is an important and disturbing work.

The Sexual Politics of Meat: A Feminist-Vegetarian Critical Theory


Carol J. Adams - 1990
    In the two decades since, the book has inspired controversy and heated debate. Praise for The Sexual Politics of Meat: CAROL J. ADAMS i s the author of The Pornography of Meat (Continuum, 2004), and co-author of Beyond Animal Rights (Continuum, 2000), and The Bedside, Bathtub, and Armchair Companion to Jane Austen (Continuum, 2008). She has toured as a speaker throughout the United States, Canada, and Europe. More information can be found at her website: http://www.triroc.com/caroladams

Grilled: Turning Adversaries into Allies to Change the Chicken Industry


Leah Garcés - 2019
    As President of the nonprofit group Mercy for Animals and former US Executive Director of Compassion in World Farming, she has led the fight against the sprawling chicken industry that raises billions of birds in cruel conditions--all to satisfy the American appetite for meat.Grilled: Turning Adversaries into Allies to Change the Chicken Industry is her story of working alongside the food and farming industry for animal welfare and ethical food. Instead of fighting and protesting and shaming--approaches that simply haven't worked previously--Garcés has instead gotten to know the producers. She has worked alongside owners of the megafarms, befriending them, having frank conversations with them, and ultimately encouraging change through dialogue and discussion. Leah is changing the way America farms her animals through this bold approach, and is helping to directly improve the lives of millions of farmed animals.When she started her journey, Leah did not have much empathy to spare for the chicken-contract farmer--until she actually met one and tried to understand the difficulties they faced. This is the story of what happens when we cross enemy lines to look for solutions. It's a story of giving in to discomfort for the sake of progress. It's a story of the power of human connection, and what happens when we practice empathy toward our enemies.