Eating

By leading philosopher Peter Singer and environmentalist Jim Mason, a hard-hitting and thought-provoking exploration of the ethics of our diets.Written with investigative vigour, provocative and controversial but always accessible, Eating is a hard-hitting exploration of our eating habits, making us look at what we eat as a moral issue.Organic foods are the fastest growing section of the food industry, and it is estimated that vegans are now almost as common as vegetarians. Veal consumption in the US has fallen by more than 75% since 1975, and in the UK, sales of free-range eggs have now passed in value sales of eggs from caged hens. Evidently we are concerned. But how concerned should we be about where our food comes from? Does the food we buy really affect the world around us? And what can we do?In Eating, philosopher Peter Singer and environmentalist Jim Mason follow three families with varying eating habits, from fast-food eaters to vegans, to explore how the food we eat makes its way to the table, and at what expense. The authors peel back each layer of food production, and examine how they ought to factor into our buying choices. Recognising that we are not all likely to become vegetarian or vegan, they go on to offer ways to make the most ethical choices within the framework of a diet that includes animal products.

“In their new book - commonsense in its approach, easy to read, packed with information - Peter Singer and Jim Mason show how market forces inexorably drive farmers toward cruel practices. But their overall message is not bleak. Factory farming is under pressure to justify itself. The day may not be far when we will return to a more ethical treatment of fellow animals, and there are many practical things that ordinary consumers can do to bring that day nearer.”

-- J. M. Coetzee
An absolutely indispensable book for anyone who thinks about what they eat. Eating is that rare combination of lively read and thorough research and investigation. It is a masterpiece, and I cannot recommend it highly enough. -- Jeffrey Masson
In this well-researched and deeply troubling book, Peter Singer and Jim Mason paint a devastating portrait of the meat industry that is bound to change the way you eat. -- Michael Pollan
It has changed the way i think about food. -- Audrey Niffenegger Guardian
Vital, urgent and disturbing New York Times

Peter Singer (Author)Peter Singer has been called the most influential philosopher alive. He is professor of bioethics at Princeton University and has published numerous books, including The Life You Can Save (2009), The Most Good You Can Do (2015) and Ethics in the Real World (2016). He became well known internationally after the publication of Animal Liberation in 1975 and has been a leading thinker and campaigner in the field of animal rights ever since. Animal Liberation was included in TIME Magazine's list of 100 Best Nonfiction Books published since 1923. In 2012 Singer was made a Companion of the Order of Australia, his country's highest civilian honour, and in 2021 he was awarded the Berggruen Prize for Philosophy and Culture.Jim Mason (Author)Peter Singer has published over 30 books including Writings on an Ethical Life, Animal Liberation, and most recently, The President of Good and Evil. Singer is currently the Ira W. DeCamp Professor of Bioethics at Princeton University's Center for Human Values. He lives in New York City.Jim Mason is an author, speaker, journalist, environmentalist and attorney. He is the author of many books including Animal Factories, co-written with Peter Singer. His writing has appeared in a variety of publications including the New York Times, the New Scientist and Audubon.

We don't usually think of what we eat as a matter of morality - that our decisions about food might be morally right - or morally reprehensible. Stealing, lying, hurting people - these acts are clearly related to our moral character. But eating - that essential part of life in which everyone participates? Yet today organic foods are the fastest growing section of the food industry, and it is estimated that vegans are now almost as common as vegetarians. Veal consumption in the US has fallen by more than 75% since 1975, and in the UK, sales of free range eggs have now passed sales of eggs from caged hens in value. Evidently we are concerned. But how concerned should we be about where our food comes from? Does the food we buy really affect the world around us? And can our individual decisions about food contribute to a sustainable future? In Eating , philosopher Peter Singer and environmentalist Jim Mason follow three families with varying eating habits, from fast-food eaters to vegans, to explore how the food we eat makes its way to the table, and at what expense. The authors peel back each layer of food production, and examine how they ought to factor into our buying choices. And recognising that we are not all likely to become vegetarian or vegan, they go on to offer ways to make the most ethical choices within the framework of a diet that includes animal products. Written with investigative vigour, provocative and controversial but always accessible, Eating is a hard-hitting book that addresses difficult questions that will only become more crucial to our future.

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