Matt is Press Coordinator and an investigator for Direct Action Everywhere (DxE). As part of his activism he has conducted animal farm investigations, been threatened with prison for rescuing farm animals from abuse and pranked NewsMax and FoxNews by posing as the CEO of Smithfield Foods – exposing to millions of viewers the damage their industry does to non-human animals, human animals and to the planet.
In Sentientist Conversations we talk about the two most important questions: “what’s real?” & “what matters?”
Sentientism is "evidence, reason & compassion for all sentient beings." The video of our conversation is here on YouTube.
We discuss:
00:00 Welcome
02:50 Matt's Intro
- DxE press & investigations
03:28 Eyes open to animals
- Deer hunting uncles. "Factory farms everywhere" in Iowa
- 4 yrs old "I don't want to eat animals"
- Family push back
- A religious family "God gave us animals for food"
- Being "a silent vegetarian" at school... in secret... feeling shame
- "Good friends of mine... through 13 yrs of grade school... never knew I was vegetarian"
- An aunt: "you're going to die if you don't eat animals"
- Uncles painting a dead deer's nose red for Xmas
- "These people around me are monstrous"
- The dissonance of "be kind" messages in kindergarten
10:24 What's Real?
- "In adulthood I'm not a religious person"
- New atheists, Richard Dawkins, Sam Harris
- As a child: "The ethics smacked me in the face" (Problem of Evil)
- As an adult "facts & rationality"
- Jehovah's Witness dad... "I was hating the prospect of doing the door to door evangelising"
- Shunning. It's worse where the JW community has more power
- "#Freewill is an illusion" so "I don't... have any anger towards anybody"
- JW "We have will, we make choices, but they're not 'free'". Removing #retribution from the justice system? #MoralLuck
- An investigation "As cruel a practice as you can imagine" #VentilationShutDown... "The COO shows up ... I was straining my free will determinism in that moment"
- "Guilt & shame can be useful"
25:11 What & Who Matters?
- #Utilitarianism ?
- "High-minded philosophical ideals... often used to launder right-wing ideas"
- "Sorry humans... but I have to put my energy towards the 99.99%"
- #Offsetting & totalising utilitarianism
- Animal agri as a core case most ethical systems should reject
...and much more. Full show notes at Sentientism.info.
Sentientism is “Evidence, reason & compassion for all sentient beings.” More at Sentientism.info. Join our "I'm a Sentientist" wall via this simple form.
Everyone, Sentientist or not, is welcome in our groups. The biggest so far is here on FaceBook. Come join us there!
Thanks Graham.
--- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/sentientism/messageCheese Challenge & Pescetarian Paradox - Maja Cullen, Devon Docherty, Carol Jasper - Sentientism 200
"Reductionism is well-named. It reduces what you can do." - Michael Levin - Sentientism 199
"We need to imagine a different world" - Emilia Leese - author and host of Think Like a Vegan - Sentientism 198
Hip Hop is Going Green - Keith Tucker of Hip Hop is Green - Sentientism 197
Nigerian Food Revolution - Hakeem Jimo of Veggie Victory and ProVeg Nigeria - Sentientism 196
Consciousness Live! - with skateboarding philosopher Richard Brown - Sentientism 195
A Truly Humane Education - Laura Chepner - The Vegan Society's Education Officer - Sentientism 194
Imagining Ethical Schools - Sentientism 193
Is Veganic the Future of Farming? "We grow plants using plants" - Jimmy Videle - Sentientism 192
Half-Earth Socialism - Troy Vettese - Sentientism 191
"Your Neighbour Kills Puppies" - Tom Harris - Activist, Artist & Author - Sentientism 190
"A new world of animal justice" - Sabine Brels of World Animal Justice - Sentientism 189
Talking to Humanists about Sentientism - Cross-post bonus from Podcast for Inquiry - Sentientism 188
"What if we saw ourselves as species diplomats?" - David Peña-Guzmán of Overthink and SFSU - Sentientism 187
Could animal farming be good for the animals? The Logic of the Larder - with Nick Pendergrast - Cross-post bonus episode from 3CR's Freedom of Species radio show and podcast - Sentientism 186
"If you combine rationality and compassion you have the essence" - Jonathan Leighton of OPIS - Sentientism 185
Is veganism a moral obligation? Ghostless Machine cross-post bonus - Sentientism 184
Don't underestimate your influence! - Chris Bryant of Bryant Research - Sentientism 183
160: "Mother Cow, Mother India" - Yamini Narayanan - International Development A/Prof - Sentientism
Waking Cosmos - a cross-post bonus episode - Sentientism 182
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