The Philosophy of Vegetarianism

by Daniel A. Dombrowski

Overview

The idea that it is morally wrong to eat animals held sway for about one thousand years among some of the most prominent ancient Greek philosophers, including Pythagoras, Empedocles, Theophrastus, Plotinus, Plutarch, Porphyry, and, perhaps, Plato. The idea then died out for almost seventeen-hundred years. Since the 1970s, however, there has been a resurgence of interest in vegetarianism, marked by lively debates and the emergence of a substantial literature in the form of scholarly books and articles.

Daniel A. Dombrowski uses the tools and insights of these contemporary debates in order to better understand the strengths and weaknesses of ancient philosophical vegetarianism. He also uses the wisdom of the Greek vegetarians as an Archimedean point from which to critique both the opponents and the defenders of contemporary philosophical vegetarianism. The book includes an annotated bibliography of the current debates in this burgeoning field of scholarship.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780870234316
Publisher:	University of Massachusetts Press
Publication date:	04/12/1984
Edition description:	First Edition
Pages:	192
Product dimensions:	5.40(w) x 8.40(h) x 0.50(d)
Lexile:	1430L (what's this?)

About the Author

Assistant professor of philosophy at Creighton University, Daniel A. Dombrowski is author of Plato's Philosophy of History.

What People are Saying About This

Peter Singer

The Philosophy of Vegetarianism tells us much about debates on this topic in antiquity. It shows that the issue of an ethical diet is as ancient as any moral question, and makes many useful connections between the contemporary discussion and the views of the ancient Greeks and Romans. A valuable book for anyone interested in vegetarianism and its intellectual origins.

Editorial Reviews

"The Philosophy of Vegetarianism tells us much about debates on this topic in antiquity. It shows that the issue of an ethical diet is as ancient as any moral question, and makes many useful connections between the contemporary discussion and the views of the ancient Greeks and Romans. A valuable book for anyone interested in vegetarianism and its intellectual origins."—Peter Singer

From the Publisher