After addressing the estimation of the sociologist Norbert Elias that
vegetarianism might be much more popular as part of a general and gradual refinement in humans’ social behavior, for the second part of the series about human relations with animals flesh eating, we wish to address a theory about meat by the anthropologist Nick Fiddes. In his book Meat: A Natural Symbol Fiddes suggests an anthropological explanation to why humans are so keen on meat, and what is according to him, the only condition which might alter them.
Basically Fiddes argues that animals symbolize power and nature, and so eating them is the ultimate symbol of humans’ dominance, of their superiority over other animals, and their triumph over nature. So to put it bluntly, humans don’t eat meat despite that it’s made of murdered animals, but because it is made of murdered animals.
We disagree that it is the only reason humans eat meat, but we definitely agree it is a very main one, and so it is highly important for activists to acknowledge it.
