Friday, February 1, 2008
This week i would like to talk about an experience I had last Thursday night. I am obsessed with politics, and a lean to the left, so i occasionaly enjoy attending the BYU Democrat meetings. Well this week it was combined with the BYU Vegetarians. I went just out of curiousity and had not intention of being swayed. It turns out the presentation was by a professor of philosophy here at the Y (specializing in logic!) who is an avid animal rights activist, and needless to say a vegetarian. His presentation was entitled "Mormonism and Vegetarianism." I wont go into detail, but he was good. He adroitly used Logos (his specialty) , Ethos (he had extended quotations from the prophets and scriptures), and Pathos (we watched a video called "Meet Your Meat" which showed how the meat industry worked) to all try to convince us that vegetarianism is the only moral pathway. I tell you what i left that meeting disturbed. I was convinced that i had to be a vegetarian to be an ethical person, but i realized how much that would inconvenience my life; meat is such a huge part of our culture. Logically and emotionaly i was convinced, but vicserally i felt uneasy. The next two days I was a vegetarian, only in the interim while i reworked a new philosophy on "animal rights" that felt right to my core. Happy to say i reworked a new philosophy, and i am back to meat consumption. What that philosophy is? Well that will have to wait for another blog!
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4 comments:
Way to be on being a involved in the political system! As for the vegetarian thing, I am a vegetarian and it isn't for any specific animal rights reasons, I just feel better not eating meat. I question you conclusion on while you decided to eat meat again. I respect your decision. It just seemed that your reason was because its a part of our culture and its just easier. Whatever you decide, just do it for yourself. But going to a BYU Democrat meeting, you don't seem to have a problem with that. Go Obama!
There have definitely been times where I have gone to a meeting or heard a talk and the content of the mentioned was so powerful and convincing that I left feeling confused. As for vegetarianism, I am going to have to leave that up to each person- but I do understand about convincing presentations.
You certainly have to be careful with the vegetarian/vegan propaganda that is circulating out there. My wife was vegan for about 5 years. What finally brought her back to eating animal products was a back of peanut butter M&M's. Fancy that. To this day she won't eat beef or pork. More for me I suppose.
I love how you make connections between class instruction and life!
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