Tuesday, April 30, 2013
Not eating meat
I haven't eaten meat since I was in kindergarten, not after they took us to the petting zoo at a farm.
I don't necessarily have a good argument as to why not eating meat is 'good', but that doesn't mean that I am going to eat meat. I could provide you with a convoluted Neo-Pythagorean argument that is premised on vitalism (the theory that life is reducible to a type of energy) and argue that eating the seeds of life such as fruits, nuts, eggs and dairy is 'good', but which entails that eating anything alive such as meat as well as plants themselves is not 'good'. I know that this argument is problematic because it requires assuming that vitalism is in fact true, as of course there isn't quite proof of this vital energy yet. However, our physical sciences are incomplete and I am as ever hopeful.
You don't necessarily have a good argument as to why eating meat is 'good', but that doesn't mean that you are going to stop eating meat. You might try to argue that eating meat is natural, but I know that it goes against my instincts. You might try to argue that eating meat is healthy, but I know that I have excellent muscle mass, lots of energy, and meet all of the recommended dietary intakes without eating any meat.
I know that even eating a vegetarian diet or a vegan diet doesn't translate into eating a cruelty-free diet.
I know that non-human animals suffer and are exploited in order to farm dairy products.
I know that human workers suffer and are exploited in order to farm grains, fruits, and vegetable.
I know that when it comes to the products of corporate farming, there is no way to buy "cruelty-free".
I am quite interested in farming my own food, but I am not doing it as of yet.
I am too busy, too lazy, and I really don't have the actual know-how to farm grains, fruits, and vegetables.
In lots of ways I am a complete idiot.
I know that I can't live completely cruelty-free, but I try to live by means of inflicting the least amount of cruelty as possible. For me, this means not eating meat.
I don't necessarily have a good argument as to why not eating meat is 'good', but that doesn't mean that I am going to eat meat. I could provide you with a convoluted Neo-Pythagorean argument that is premised on vitalism (the theory that life is reducible to a type of energy) and argue that eating the seeds of life such as fruits, nuts, eggs and dairy is 'good', but which entails that eating anything alive such as meat as well as plants themselves is not 'good'. I know that this argument is problematic because it requires assuming that vitalism is in fact true, as of course there isn't quite proof of this vital energy yet. However, our physical sciences are incomplete and I am as ever hopeful.
You don't necessarily have a good argument as to why eating meat is 'good', but that doesn't mean that you are going to stop eating meat. You might try to argue that eating meat is natural, but I know that it goes against my instincts. You might try to argue that eating meat is healthy, but I know that I have excellent muscle mass, lots of energy, and meet all of the recommended dietary intakes without eating any meat.
I know that even eating a vegetarian diet or a vegan diet doesn't translate into eating a cruelty-free diet.
I know that non-human animals suffer and are exploited in order to farm dairy products.
I know that human workers suffer and are exploited in order to farm grains, fruits, and vegetable.
I know that when it comes to the products of corporate farming, there is no way to buy "cruelty-free".
I am quite interested in farming my own food, but I am not doing it as of yet.
I am too busy, too lazy, and I really don't have the actual know-how to farm grains, fruits, and vegetables.
In lots of ways I am a complete idiot.
I know that I can't live completely cruelty-free, but I try to live by means of inflicting the least amount of cruelty as possible. For me, this means not eating meat.
Inspiration for "What Can Orsi Know?"
My name is Orsi, which is pronounced Or-she.
My blog draws inspiration from Lorraine Code's book "What Can She Know?" (1991).
Being fortunate enough to have studied with Prof. Code at York University, I have become inspired to question what I am able to claim that I know.
I have become inspired to attempt and identify when and how my knowledge becomes degraded by dominant ideologies.
I have a Bachelors and a Master's degree in philosophy from York University. I have recently been accepted into the PhD program at the University of Guelph in order to study epistemology and feminist epistemology. To those who are interested, I plan to write a thesis arguing that the concerns raised by feminist epistemologists, such as Code, can be successfully subsumed within a Quinean naturalized epistemic framework without appealing to any additional moral principles. I will tell you more about my argument in future blog posts.
I also have a background in the pink-collar trade of hairstyling. By "pink-collar" I mean that it is a feminized trade in the sense that it predominately employs women and gay men. I also mean "pink collar" in the sense that hairstyling is often degraded in comparison to "blue-collar" trades such as carpentry.
I graduated from the Avola College of Hairstyling and Esthetics, and have previously worked as an apprentice/assistant in high-end salons. I currently work at a Barber and Beauty Supply store in downtown Toronto. My work-life of selling hair products will be reflected in future blog posts.
Artistically, I am struggling to find my voice as a writer.
I am a very harsh judge of myself, especially my writing.
I reprimand myself for not devoting enough time to my craft of philosophy.
I reprimand myself for thinking too much of philosophy.
In my day to day life, the dominant consumer culture is telling me:
Consume! Consume! Don't think! Just consume! Just do it!
However, I do think a lot about what I consume. These thoughts will be reflected in future blog posts.
My blog draws inspiration from Lorraine Code's book "What Can She Know?" (1991).
Being fortunate enough to have studied with Prof. Code at York University, I have become inspired to question what I am able to claim that I know.
I have become inspired to attempt and identify when and how my knowledge becomes degraded by dominant ideologies.
I have a Bachelors and a Master's degree in philosophy from York University. I have recently been accepted into the PhD program at the University of Guelph in order to study epistemology and feminist epistemology. To those who are interested, I plan to write a thesis arguing that the concerns raised by feminist epistemologists, such as Code, can be successfully subsumed within a Quinean naturalized epistemic framework without appealing to any additional moral principles. I will tell you more about my argument in future blog posts.
I also have a background in the pink-collar trade of hairstyling. By "pink-collar" I mean that it is a feminized trade in the sense that it predominately employs women and gay men. I also mean "pink collar" in the sense that hairstyling is often degraded in comparison to "blue-collar" trades such as carpentry.
I graduated from the Avola College of Hairstyling and Esthetics, and have previously worked as an apprentice/assistant in high-end salons. I currently work at a Barber and Beauty Supply store in downtown Toronto. My work-life of selling hair products will be reflected in future blog posts.
Artistically, I am struggling to find my voice as a writer.
I am a very harsh judge of myself, especially my writing.
I reprimand myself for not devoting enough time to my craft of philosophy.
I reprimand myself for thinking too much of philosophy.
In my day to day life, the dominant consumer culture is telling me:
Consume! Consume! Don't think! Just consume! Just do it!
However, I do think a lot about what I consume. These thoughts will be reflected in future blog posts.
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| Google book preview is available at: http://books.google.ca/books/about/What_Can_She_Know.html?id=SWISMrtUSq4C&redir_esc=y |
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