Eva is the operations lead for the startup non-profit Pax Fauna. Pax Fauna exists to design a more effective social movement for animal freedom in the U.S. Eva has been organizing in the animal freedom movement since 2015 when she started working with Direct Action Everywhere (DxE) in Chicago, where she focused on building community, writing protest music, and compiling the movements’ songs into an online songbook used by advocates around the world. She started working full time as DxE’s legal coordinator in 2018, managing the organization’s many legal cases, organizing trainings, and orchestrating large artistic demonstrations. Building on a background in Kingian nonviolence, Eva is a dedicated student of #nonviolentcommunication and is committed to bringing NVC’s repertoire of creative problem-solving tools to the work of building a better culture in the animal movement.
In Sentientist Conversations we talk about the two most important questions: “what’s real?” & “who matters?”
Sentientism is "evidence, reason & compassion for all sentient beings." The video of our conversation is here on YouTube.
We discuss:
00:00 Welcome
01:39 Eva's Intro
02:48 What's Real?
- "Growing up I definitely loved the supernatural... ghosts... god... mystical things"
- Raised #episcopalian, baptised, church "I remember really enjoying that"
- Considering confirmation but "starting to feel a little bit sceptical"
- 5th grade: Debating people online about religion
- "A sudden realisation... I don't actually believe all of this"
- Looking for purpose
- Identifying as an #atheist & focusing on the harms of religion (unaccepting, destructive, family rejections)
- "I still don't believe in anything that can't be falsified"
- "I'm really connected to the needs that can be met by religion..." working in an end of life hospice
- "My own spirituality... characterised by #nonviolence" a Kingian perspective, nonviolent communication
- Meeting the needs (community, morality)... without the supernatural
- Valuing acceptance & care for others led to hostility vs. some religious ethics
- #yoga & #meditation then finding "a more secular form of meditation"
- Using supernaturalism as a metaphor
- Naturalistic "spirituality"... "a felt sense of purpose"
13:20 What Matters?
- Non-violence: Getting away from black & white "right and wrong" thinking to "thinking about needs"
- Finding creative alternatives to meeting needs without violence
- Needs & strategies to meet them
- More fundamental needs: safety, sustenance, freedom from suffering
- #maslow 's hierarchy, Scott Barry Kaufman's sailboat @ThePsychologyPodcast
- Protective use of force. Justifiable force. "Nonviolence is definitely not #pacifism "
- Mourning unmet needs
...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!
--- 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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