TEDx Talks
3 HN recommenders · recommended in 6 months, 2015–2023
18:53 · 911K views · Feb 5, 2015
Psychologist Melanie Joy's TEDxMunchen talk introduces carnism, the invisible belief system that conditions people to eat some animals but not others, and how it shapes reactions to food choices.
Recommended in vegetarian and animal-welfare threads as an introduction to the psychology behind how we treat animals differently.
6 comments from Hacker News
Yes, there's absolutely no reason to believe pigs suffer less than dogs. In fact, they have similar cognitive levels. So we need to do some mental gymnastics to justify how we treat them. This behavior is labeled "moral schizophrenia" by some. We say that we recognize that animals are sentient and therefore deserve moral consideration and freedom from unnecessary suffering, but we often behave toward them as insentient things and treat them in ways that are diametrically opposed to any moral consideration of their interests. Unless we label them as pets, of course. Then they are automatically included in our circle of compassion. For a deeper look at the psychology behind this, I recommend this great TED talk: this video
> "Even though I see them as livestock, not pets" Isn't it funny how this is a completely arbitrary definition? The most sensible explanation I've seen about this phenomenon is called carnism and it's brilliantly explained by Dr. Melaine Joy in this TED talk: this video
For those who are interested in reducing their animal consumption and need an extra push, I recommend this great talk by Dr. Melanie Joy about carnism, which is the invisible belief system that conditions us to eat certain animals: this video
You’re right but you should have included decent sources in your initial comment. Sadly the vegan crowd overlaps too much with the pseudoscientific new age/alt med/antivaxxers crowd, so skeptical types are quick to dismiss any suggestion that such a diet is healthier. And people generally don’t like to hear that eating meat is bad for them anyway. If anyone is interested in why you instinctively react so negatively to the idea that your diet is unhealthy and unnecessarily wasteful/harmful, there’s a great Ted Talk on it: this video
I already have one. Meet my psychologist, Melanie Joy, Ph.D., Ed.M., a Harvard-educated psychologist, professor of psychology and sociology at the University of Massachusetts. this video (Toward Rational, Authentic Food Choices | Melanie Joy | TEDxMünchen) [LINK] (What to Say to Vegans | Melanie Joy)