Modern vegetarianism

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asked 5 years ago

Rabbi, do you think there is a philosophical-ethical (rather than material-historical) explanation for the emergence of vegetarianism in recent decades? I’m not knowledgeable enough, but why doesn’t Kant, for example, preach vegetarianism? Of course, you can ask this about any phenomenon in modern humanism, simply for the sake of it, it’s a subject on which we both agree that the change is positive. thanks

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מיכי Staff answered 5 years ago

When Kant talks about the categorical imperative, he is talking about what is good for all of humanity, not for the whole universe. Ecoethics is a modern invention (search Google). Beyond that, today there is industrial production, so raising animals by definition involves severe suffering and abuse. In the past, each breeder would do it their own way. And of course there is Maslow’s pyramid of needs. As we grow older, we have a mental inclination to engage with the needs of animals and with strict adherence to morality.

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רותם הופמן replied 5 years ago

The question itself is not historical, but why did Kant not deal with eco-ethics, is this a principled position or dependent on reality and the construction of discourse? The argument of industrial production and the pyramid of needs, as far as I understand, is a material-historical argument. Is there a fundamentally different philosophical position and not a coincidence in modern/postmodern thinking?

מיכי replied 5 years ago

I don't think so.