Oh boy - here is an excellent Point of Inquiry interview, Vegetarianism and Secular Ethics, with philosopher, Peter Singer - and he is quite convincing about the case for adopting vegetarianism The best thing about the interview is his discussion of religion regarding some of these ethical questions. At one point he also talks about the early Christian ideas of "personhood" and how it related to the doctrine of Trinity. Good stuff!
Now, I will be in Pakistan next month during Eid ul Adha - the Muslim festival of animal sacrifice (I think its around Dec 8th). The last time I was there for Eid al Adha was at least 15 years ago. I do vividly remember some of the goat sacrifices while growing up, but I think it will be hard to stomach it this time. But I'm not a vegetarian - so yes, my position regarding this is definitely inconsistent.
If you have 25 minutes, do check out this interview - its totally worth it. Also - you can check out the first part, Ethics in the age of Darwin.
What is Irtiqa?
Irtiqa is Salman Hameed's blog. A few years ago (before Facebook killed many of the blogs), it used to track stories of science & religion, especially those related to Muslim societies. That is still one of its foci, but now it dovetails more of Salman's interests including film, astronomy, science fiction, and science outreach in both Pakistan and the US.
Irtiqa literally means evolution in Urdu. But it does not imply only biological evolution. Instead, it is an all encompassing word used for evolution of the universe, biological evolution, and also for biological/human development. While it has created confusion in debates over biological evolution in South Asia, it provides a nice integrative name for this blog. For further information, contact Salman Hameed.
The blog banner is designed by Muhammad Aurangzeb Ahmad. You can find all his creative endeavors at Orangie.
Salman Hameed
Salman is an astronomer and Associate Professor of Integrated Science & Humanities at Hampshire College, Massachusetts. Currently, he is working on understanding the rise of creationism in contemporary Islamic world and how Muslims view the relationship between science & religion. He is also working with historian Tracy Leavelle at Creighton University to analyze reconciliation efforts between astronomers and Native Hawaiians over telescopes on top of sacred Mauna Kea in Hawaii. He teaches “History and Philosophy of Science & Religion” with philosopher Laura Sizer, and “Science in the Islamic World”, both at Hampshire College. Salman and Laura Sizer are also responsible for the ongoing Hampshire College Lecture Series on Science & Religion, and you can find videos of all these lectures below. Contact information here.
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- Arab Spring
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- Astronomy Pictures from Pakistan
- atheism
- beliefs of scientists
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- creationism
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Blog Archive
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2008
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November
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- Off-Topic: Ahmed Rashid on Fresh Air
- In Pakistan next week
- Remains identified - Copernicus
- aah - idiocy has no bounds...
- A monument for the soul from 8th century BC
- Paul Davies at Hampshire College on Thursday
- Can atheists be nice?
- Naturalistic worldview and the ethics of eating meat
- Colbert on the Vatican going green
- Jihadists on the couch
- Colloquium about Mauna Kea controvery at Yale
- Science & Religion at Film & History conference
- A Human Train?
- Biblical Creation with Ricky Gervais
- Science, faith and Descartes
- Saudi books in British Islamic schools
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November
(16)
3 comments:
I heard the first interview and look forward to catching the next.
From the moment I learned I didn't need to eat meat to live I became a vegetarian. Looked at from this point of view it is killing for pleasure; in this case the pleasure of tasting the flesh of another creature.
It is interesting the nonsense excuses people will make for doing it, like 'My blood-type says I should eat meat to be healthy.
The sooner we develop meat grown in vats the better. Then those who want can satisfy their taste for meat without the needless suffering and environmental damage.
yup - I don't have a good excuse...
But the vat idea is a good one.
"...because not every human is a rational, self-aware being."
Ah, so true.
But at the same time, I'm not a vegetarian and I don't expect I ever will be. For one thing, I experiment with an animal model. Are those rats worth less than a cow? Is this not also inconsistent? Do I not have the same moral responsibility? Yet I believe that there is a justification for animal research, as well as moral and ethical code which governs this work. Additionally, I am an omnivore. My self-awareness does not make me something other than what evolution did.
I would have liked a better discussion of how science and animal ethics intertwine than "I think Darwin would have been a vegetarian," and "some people are more committed to acting ethically than others."
-Marina
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