Sunday Speaker: Andrew Simmons (Ethics & Animal Agriculture)

Sunday Speaker Topic: Ethics & Animal Agriculture

An examination of our basic moral intuitions, contrasted against the current norms in food production.

This talk explores a subsection in the study of Food Ethics by examining the “humane” standards we have come to accept in modern animal agriculture. The discussion centers on a fundamental question: should our ethical principles meaningfully motivate the way we produce and consume animal products?

We begin by looking at how animal farming operates in reality and what “humane” guidelines actually permit, the ethical (and non-ethical) implications of our current practices, relevant statistical considerations, and how the current state of food production contrasts with some our most basic moral intuitions.

From there, we examine several motivations for pursuing a vegan diet - understanding what veganism is and isn’t, scrutinizing the historic PR nightmare of its advocates, while also attempting to intellectually empathize with some of its most passionate promoters.

A significant portion of the talk is devoted to common objections to veganism, including appeals to tradition, necessity, nature, personal choice, health, etc. These objections are rarely treated seriously and evaluated for consistency, rather than dismissed or caricatured. The aim is to evaluate these considerations by teasing out which hold up under scrutiny and which quietly rely on unexamined assumptions.

The talk concludes by turning to the question of responsibility, as well as actionable steps we can take to improve the status quo. If our food system involves widespread and systematic harm, what actions are meaningful, and what actions merely signal concern? Rather than offering simple answers, the discussion emphasizes clarity, honesty, and intellectual consistency in one of the most routine—and least examined—areas of everyday life.

Bio:
Andrew is a husband, father of three, a musician, and a lover of pineapple on pizza.

Professionally, he manages the Design department of a company supplying Engineered Building Components in Arizona.

His hobbies include dog training, music production, and philosophy - spending most of his studies in Ethics & Metaphysics.

Please Note:
Doors open at 9:00 am for optional buffet breakfast ($5 donation) and socializing. Speaker program begins at 10:00 am.

Important: $5 breakfast fee waived for awesome humans bringing in food to share!

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A Children's Program is available during the Speaker Meeting. Please go to the Meetup listing to RSVP for your kids Here.

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The Humanist Society of Greater Phoenix presents its Sunday Speaker meetings twice a month on Sunday mornings. Meetings are free and open to the public.

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