47: "Freedom, equality & avoiding harm to others" - Kristof Dhont - Social Psychologist - Sentientist Conversations

Kristof is a social psychologist and senior lecturer at the university of Kent where he runs SHARKLab (Study of Human InterGroup & Animal Relations). He is the author of "Why We Love and Exploit Animals".

We discuss:

- The psychology of human-animal relations

- Links between sexism, racism & speciesism

- "Us humans are weird". We're not fully rational decision makers

- Being sceptical of our own rationality

- Knowing the right answer isn't the same as persuading others to agree or make changes

- Growing up in Belgium, a largely Catholic country but with many who are non-practicing

- Attending church, then becoming "strongly atheist" because of evidence, but also "the nasty stuff" (sexism, homophobia, racism)

- Being raised with values of compassion & respect. Finding those values in Christianity, other religions and in Humanism

- Moving to a more nuanced view of the good and bad in religion

- Traditions and rituals have value for some people. As long as they don't cause harm to people outside or within the group

- The abuse of power in institutionalised religion

- Pre-human proto-morality

- We don't need supernatural beliefs to justify compassionate ethics. We just need them too justify harmful ethics

- Religious schooling

- Being angry with the world as a teenager: religion; capitalism; animal products; injustice - then being led to study human behaviour

- Taking teenage rebellion and applying it to social justice activism in academia

- Moral intuitions re: "freedom, equality and avoiding harm to others"

- Freedom & equality shouldn't just be left wing concerns. They're much more widely shared

- Sentience matters re: moral consideration, not intelligence

- Are freedom and equality fundamental or important because of how they impact suffering/flourishing?

- Caring about animals. Having companion animals as family members

- The Meat Paradox

- Seeing a family member killing chickens and rabbits

- The hardcore punk music scene & Straight Edge. Bands with a clear, constructive message re: politics & animal ethics & anti-fascism (vs. more pessimistic grunge and 1970's punk)

- "I can't keep eating meat any more", supported by the positive social pressure of the music scene & friends making the change

- Parents initially resisting veg*nism, needing to learn DIY (it's easier now!)

- Learning about dairy/eggs & going vegan at University

- Wild animal suffering and how to prioritise it vs. animal farming/fishing. The risk of paternalism/hubris

- Effective Altruism

- Benevolent & hostile sexism

- Sentientism's focus on inclusive moral consideration

- The challenges of rescue and sanctuary animals and predator companion animals

- The default human answer of "kill them all" re: issues with wild animals

- Animals don't care what category we put them in. They suffer just the same

- And much more... (full notes at https://sentientism.info/)

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