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REID-DISSERTATION-2018.Pdf VEGANISM AND THE ETHICS AND EPISTEMOLOGY OF DISAGREEMENT: A NEO-PASCALIAN APPROACH By Adam Curran Reid, B.A., M.A. A dissertation submitted to Johns Hopkins University in conformity with the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy Baltimore, Maryland, February, 2018 © Adam Curran Reid 2018 All Rights Reserved Abstract Disagreement is without a doubt one of the most universal, enduring, and oftentimes quite vexing, features of our life in common. This latter aspect, to be sure, becomes all the more evident when the particular disagreement at hand concerns differing ethical beliefs, value-judgments, or deep questions about the nature, and scope, of morally permissible action as such. One such question—also the chief subject of dispute to be taken up in this dissertation—is whether or not human beings are morally justified in killing, eating, wearing—in a word, exploiting—non-human animals for our benefit when doing so is neither required for us to survive or to flourish. Ethical vegans answer ‘no,’ insisting that non-human animals, qua sentient, conscious, experiential selves, ought to be treated with fundamental concern and respect, which, at a minimum, demands that we stop exploiting them as resources and commodities. Unsurprisingly, many disagree. While I shall have much more to say about (and in support for) ethical veganism in what follows, the guiding aim of this dissertation is firstly to explore certain key questions regarding the ethics and epistemology of disagreement(s) about veganism. In this way, my approach notably departs from that which has long prevailed (and rightly so) in conventional animal rights theory and vegan advocacy, where the emphasis, and aim, has generally been about making the first-order case for animal rights, abolition, and, therein, for veganism itself. While I heartily agree with, and applaud the efforts ii of, those who have contributed to this task, there is frankly not much else left to say in this regard. However, I shall argue that there is a compelling ‘second-order’ case to be made for becoming vegan; one that has, to my knowledge, gone largely, if not entirely unnoticed, but which has the potential to be at least as persuasive and effective as its more conventional ‘first-order’ counterpart(s)—perhaps more so. I call this a ‘Neo- Pascalian argument for precautionary veganism,’ and in what follows I shall undertake to motivate, elaborate, and defend this approach as a novel contribution to the theory and practice of veganism and animal advocacy. Dissertation Committee Members: Hilary Bok (Advisor), Michael Williams (Second Reader), Richard Bett, Will Kymlicka, Angus Burgin iii Acknowledgements As rewarding as it can be, writing a dissertation can also be a quite lonely, demanding, and at times almost overwhelming undertaking. It is, then, with immense gratitude that I must thank all those who have helped me along, in various ways and at various stages, throughout this endeavour. I could not have done it without you. As any philosopher knows, though the initial research, and actual act(s) of writing, that ultimately propels our discipline forward tends, by and large, to be a mostly solitary affair, any substantial ‘finished’ piece of philosophical work will (or at any rate, should) have undergone various rewrites and revisions in response to external feedback. This dissertation is certainly no exception. In this respect, and others, the guidance and support of my advisor, Hilary Bok, has been invaluable. Over the past few years, Hilary has read numerous drafts of chapters-in-progress, and has provided consistently helpful, and challenging, criticisms and suggestions for improvements. (In some cases, the final form of a chapter bears only the faintest resemblance to earlier drafts; in each case, this is a good thing.) In addition to her written feedback, Hilary has also spent countless hours discussing my work with me—both in person and over the phone—and as philosophically valuable as these exchanges were, I am equally grateful for her ‘advisorly’ knack of putting me at ease when I felt like my research wasn’t progressing as smoothly, or as quickly, as I would have liked (this was especially appreciated during the very early stages of this project). Thanks, Hilary; there is no question that this is a philosophically stronger work for your involvement, but it was also a less daunting project than it might have been for your support. Thanks, too, to the other members of my committee; Michael Williams (Second Reader), Richard Bett, Will Kymlicka, and Angus Burgin—each of whom has given generously of their time and expertise in reading, and commenting upon, my work, and participating at my defense. I must also give thanks to the JHU Philosophy Department itself, and not least for its generous financial support over the years—both in the form of fellowships and TA- ships—but for the superb philosophical training I was fortunate enough to receive there. Philosophical education involves both a formal and an informal aspect; the former includes classes, seminars, colloquium talks, examinations, and the like; the latter, those many and varied impromptu exchanges one cannot help but find oneself taking part in, simply on account of being around so many keen philosophers, with diverse interests, day after day. In both respects, JHU is a terrific place to study philosophy. Thanks, too, to the Department (and to the estate of Arthur Lovejoy) for awarding me the Lovejoy Dissertation Completion Fellowship for Spring term, 2017. A substantial iv portion of my dissertation was completed during the tenure of this fellowship, and I remain as grateful as I am humbled by the Department’s decision to award it to me. On behalf of the entire Department, I must also acknowledge the tremendous support that is provided, day in and day out, by our peerless administrative staff—in particular, our Senior Administrative Coordinator, Alicia V. Burley, and our Academic Program Coordinator, Veronica Feldkircher-Reed; each of whom has assisted me with more questions, queries, forms and deadlines over the years than I can count. Thank you both, so much, for making all things administrative that much more straightforward and easy to navigate. Thanks also to my friends and colleagues at JHU, and not only for your support and encouragement over the years, but for contributing, each in your own way, to an overall atmosphere of intellectual camaraderie and shared inquiry that made for about as stimulating and fulfilling a grad school experience as I could have hoped for. In particular, I would like to thank Alexander Englert, Joshua McBee, Kevin Powell, and Josef Simpson, each of whom has read, and commented upon, various sections of this dissertation (in some cases, entire chapters); all of whom have provided astute criticisms and observations that were of great benefit to me in shaping my view. On a more personal note, I must give special thanks to my partner, Tina Vashistha, without whose love and support I would not be where I am today… because I would not be who I am today. Truly, our countless conversations about my work, and your many critical insights and helpful suggestions about same, comprise but one aspect of the influence you’ve had on this project; the others are too many and various to list. For this, for your endless support, and for everything, I dedicate this dissertation to you. (Thanks, too, to Adèle and Jolie, our two cats, for being the sweetest feline companions there ever was, and ever will be). I am also incredibly fortunate for all the advice, emotional strength, and unfailing moral support I have always received from my wonderful family. As you all know very well, this has been a long road; your enthusiasm and constant encouragement along the way, however, was something I could always count on to help make it not feel quite so long. Whether by discussing philosophy with me—or, indeed, by helping me to take my mind off philosophy for a while—you have all always been there for me, and I cannot thank you enough. Finally, I would like to thank Jenny Stein (director) and James LaVeck (producer) of Tribe of Heart (http://www.tribeofheart.org/sr/home_english.htm) for the powerful, indeed transformative, study of human-animal relations, and the awakening of conscience therein, that is at the core of their excellent documentary film “A Peaceable Kingdom: The Journey Home” (http://www.peaceablekingdomfilm.org/home.htm). I v was fortunate enough to attend a screening of this film in 2012 at the Baltimore Museum of Art, and while I entered that auditorium a vegetarian, I exited a vegan. I must also acknowledge, with deepest thanks and the greatest respect, the inspirational message of Harold Brown (http://www.farmkind.org/), one of the principal subjects of the film, who was also present for the screening, and who spoke candidly afterwards during the Q & A period. Long may your story inspire others to change their lives too, Harold; long may your words, and your example, be a guide as they seek to bring their own consumptive habits into harmony with their deepest, best selves. vi For Tina vii Table of Contents Abstract .......................................................................................................................... ii Acknowledgements ......................................................................................................... iv Introduction ...................................................................................................................
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