From Arguments to Action: A Bridge for Ethical Vegetarianism

Joshua May (University of Alabama, Birmingham)

The Society for the Study of Ethics and Animals (SSEA) is hosting a virtual colloquium series for the Fall 2020 semester. The first talk in the series is on September 16th, by Dr. Josh May, Associate Professor of Philosophy at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. His talk is titled "From Arguments to Action: A Bridge for Ethical Vegetarianism." Sign up here if you'd like to attend; we'll e-mail the meeting link to registered attendees on the 15th.

The talk will take place at 11:00 AM, Central Time (USA)

Abstract: Increasingly people believe that eating less meat is morally (and prudentially) better than the status quo. Yet few comply with this moral assessment. Vegetarianism in the vast majority of countries remains quite low (generally under 10%). The persistence of meat consumption is often construed as a matter of being weak-willed: even with the right attitudes, action doesn’t follow. Experimental evidence suggests that meat consumption is driven largely by rationalizations and motivated reasoning. I argue that, if we seek to bridge the gap between attitudes and action, we must address these mechanisms head on at the individual, social, and structural levels of society.