Special Session

Theory and Philosophy / Historical and Political Studies

Matthew Bond (University of California - Riverside)
matt@****.com (Log-in to reveal)

This panel seeks to discuss texts—novels, films, theory, art pieces and installations—that address vegetarianism/veganism by name, or that evoke related themes and values. What values drive characters, authors, and artists to entertain this increasingly politicized matter of debate? Specifically, how does the rejection of animal flesh from one’s diet reframe the relationship between humans and animal-others? How does an emphasis on or attempt toward non-violent consumption challenge conceptions of human being and human identity?

In Arthur C. Clark’s 2001: A Space Odyssey, an ape named Moonwatcher becomes inspired by the monolith to use a tool to kill another animal for food. This story casts this moment as a triumph of survival over hunger, but it also unequivocally connotes the act as showing “evil intent.” If humans are the “moral animal,” but animal nonetheless, what obligation do they have towards other animal life? Must humans “transcend” omnivorous diets if possible? Does the “greatest good for the greatest number” goal of utilitarianism extend to animals? How much does a diet of or without animal flesh contribute to the shape and limit of the definition of the human?

Numerous novels and films have been released lately that include vegetarian characters and themes, and some of these narratives focus on the matter foremost. Moral philosophy, transhumanist theory, and ecocriticism have themselves increasingly highlighted this topic and its ensuing debate. This panel seeks to open up this conversation to include not just questions of ethics and sustainability, but also matters of aesthetics and basic human ontology.