Melanie Joy: Why We (Still) Love Dogs, Eat Pigs and Wear Cows

“The core of this problem in the world in many ways. is the consciousness that we bring to the world. When we think of others in the world or ourselves as being more or less worthy of being treated with respect, that very thinking is what drives many of the social problems we see in the world.” – Dr. Melanie Joy

Melanie Joy is a Harvard educated psychologist, specializing in the psychology of eating animals, social transformation and relationships. She is the award-winning author of six books, including the best-selling, Why We Love Dogs, Eat Pigs and Wear Cows. She is the founder of the non-profit, Beyond Carnism, dedicated to exposing and transforming carnism, the invisible belief system that conditions people to eat certain animals.

Melanie is a recipient of the Ahimsa award for her work on global nonviolence. This award was previously given to the Dalai Lama and Nelson Mandela. She also received both the Peter Singer Prize and the Empty Cages Prize for her work developing strategies to reduce the suffering of animals.

Melanie’s TEDx talk called, Toward Rational Authentic Food Choices has received over 800,000 views.

No matter what your diet consists of, I hope that this conversation will inspire you to delve a little deeper into the systems and beliefs that quietly run the show when it comes to the psychology behind what (and who) we eat.