Famed author speaks about food industry

 by Allison Carlin
 published on Tuesday, April 29, 2008

Kaitlin Ochenrider / THE STATE PRESS

SPREAD THE WORD: Controversial ethicist Peter Singer speaks to students in the Evelyn Smith Music Theatre Monday afternoon.

Students and faculty members gathered in the Evelyn Smith Music Theatre on Tuesday afternoon to hear Australian philosopher and bioethics profession Peter Singer discuss themes of his latest book, which depict the environmental effects and consequences peoples' food choices have on animals.

His book is titled: "The Way We Eat: Why Our Food Choices Matter."

"The question at hand is how can we avoid the greatest amount of bad consequences with the least cost?" Singer asked his audience. He answered his question, saying that "the first and clearest conclusion to ethical food choices is to avoid CAFO [Confined Animal Feeding Operations]," Singer said.

He went on to explain that the holding pens lodging cattle and pigs throughout the country were polluting much of the Earth's fresh water and decomposing, emitting methane, a potent greenhouse gas, into the air.

"Most people think just switching their car to hybrids is the solution to emissions of greenhouse gases," Singer said, explaining that there are other ways to solve this problem of greenhouse gases. He suggested changing peoples' diets to include less meat as one of them.

Singer spoke of the benefits of buying organic food, such as the sustainability in farming methods in the long term, and the fact that no genetically modified plants or animals can be certified for sale. "One way in which the USDA standards could be improved is that the word 'organic' means that the animals get to go outside in open space with grass, and are not confined to a small space," Singer said.

Also, Singer made clear the difference between conscientiousness and self-awareness.

"While animals have the ability to feel pain, they are not aware of themselves," he said. A believer of conscientious omnivorism would argue that self-awareness is what makes the act of killing wrong, and since animals lack this awareness, it is fine to kill them, he said.

Tito Carvalho, a biology and society junior, arranged for Singer to speak at ASU. A member of the Student Ambassador program at the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, Carvalho has been an admirer of Singer's work since he was a freshman.

"I have always been interested in philosophy and ethics, and I came to many conclusions after reading Singer's book," Carvalho said. "I thought the topic of his book was very appropriate because everybody eats."

Singer's advice to those who want to get involved with bioethics is to work with organizations and spread information in different ways.

"Make a personal choice and don't be shy to talk about it with your friends and neighbors," he said.

Reach the reporter at: allison.carlin@asu.edu.