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Eating Animals summary
The (a)morality of our eating habits and traditions
21 mins
Brief summary
'Eating Animals' by Jonathan Safran Foer is a thought-provoking exploration of the ethics and environmental impact of eating meat. The author presents a compelling argument for considering a vegetarian or even vegan lifestyle, while acknowledging the challenges and complexities of making such a change.
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Eating Animals
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Key idea 1 of 11
Factory farms are more factory than farm.
When most people think of a farm, they think of barns, pastures, red wooden houses and barnyard animals grazing peacefully.
This is history. 99% of all land-animals farmed in the US today come from so-called factory farms: industrialized, streamlined production facilities which bear zero resemblance to the “farms” in most consumers’ imaginations. A factory farm is more like an assembly line, where each animal is another unit to be processed as quickly and cheaply as possible.
The logic behind factory farms can be summed up with one word: efficiency.
Over the past century, farm animals have been bred to be so fast-growing that they are slaughtered as soon as they reach adolescence. This unnaturally rapid growth induces such severe hereditary health-problems that they are often unable to survive outside the factory farm.
Sick and injured animals are left to die where they fall. Any form of care, even mere rest and water, are considered inefficient and thus not provided.
Artificial lighting and ventilation ensure the animals’ internal clocks continually push them to grow. At the same time their feed is supplemented with vitamins and antibiotics to keep perpetually unhealthy creatures alive until slaughter.
Labor is minimized through automated herding, feeding and slaughter, but the few workers used are usually poorly paid and under constant stress, leading to mistakes and even deliberate sadism.
If you believe that the animals your chicken nuggets or pork chops are made from have ever seen the light of day or felt grass under their feet, you are living a fantasy of bygone times.
Today, animals are a nameless, faceless mass being processed.
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What is Eating Animals about?
Eating Animals (2009) offers a comprehensive view of the modern meat industry and demonstrates how the entire production process has been so completely perverted that it is unrecognizable as farming anymore.
The book explains the moral and environmental costs incurred to achieve today‘s incredibly low meat prices.
Eating Animals Review
Eating Animals (2009) presents a thought-provoking exploration of the ethical and environmental implications of our food choices. Here's why this book is worth reading:
- With meticulous research and personal anecdotes, it sheds light on the dark realities of factory farming and challenges readers to examine their relationship with food.
- By offering compelling arguments and alternative perspectives, it encourages readers to make informed choices that align with their values and contribute to a more sustainable future.
- The book confronts uncomfortable truths in a non-judgmental and compassionate manner, providing a balanced and nuanced exploration of a complex issue.
Who should read Eating Animals?
- Anyone interested in how meat is produced today and what the consequences are for people, animals and the environment.
- Anyone who thinks of food as an important part of their lives, from full-blooded meat-eaters to vegetarians and vegans.
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Eating Animals FAQs
What is the main message of Eating Animals?
The main message of Eating Animals is to provoke reflection on the ethical implications of consuming animals.
How long does it take to read Eating Animals?
The reading time for Eating Animals varies depending on the reader, but it typically takes several hours. However, the Blinkist summary can be read in just 15 minutes.
Is Eating Animals a good book? Is it worth reading?
Eating Animals is a thought-provoking read for those interested in the ethics of food consumption.
Who is the author of Eating Animals?
The author of Eating Animals is Jonathan Safran Foer.
What to read after Eating Animals?
If you're wondering what to read next after Eating Animals, here are some recommendations we suggest:
- Should We Eat Meat? by Vaclav Smil
- The Way We Eat Now by Bee Wilson
- We Are the Weather by Jonathan Safran Foer
- Phaedo by Plato
- The Inspired Vegan by Bryant Terry
- Comfortably Unaware by Richard A. Oppenlander
- Breath by James Nestor
- Hillbilly Elegy by J.D. Vance
- 12 Rules For Life by Jordan B. Peterson
- Palestine by Nur Masalha