Pollan

Pollan's piece, "The Omnivore's Dilemma", while it will not keep me from enjoying a juicy burger, was an interesting read. Pollan, a meat-eater, is inspired to take a stab at vegitarianism after reading Peter Singer's "Animal Liberation". Pollan reacts like most would, by trying to justify his stance on the topic.

Something that I thought was really interesting was the comparison that was made between dogs and other animals. People in the U.S. are so absorbed with their pets, especially dogs, so the comparison calling into question how people make the distinction between their beloved pet and something to eat for dinner was interesting. "Half the dogs in America will recieve Christmas presents this year, yet few of us ever pause to consider the life of the pig-an animal easily as intelligent as a dog-that becomes the Christmas ham."

Another point that was very thought provoking was the comparison of an infant child to a chimpanzee based on intelligence level. The idea argues that while a chimpanzee cannot talk or reason but neither can an infant human or possibly a human with a mental disability. This argument was the one I found most convincing because everyone has some way of relating to a child and it is interesting to try to relate that feeling to understanding the consciousness of animals.