I didn’t post all summer . . . or fall . . . I know.  Blame school and my former job and pain disorders . . . whatever, it doesn’t really matter.  I’m back now, I hope.  I really do miss blogging when I am forced by circumstances to neglect writing for a while.

So here’s what’s happening:  I’m writing a magnum opus.

Of sorts, anyway.  I was working on an independent study on animal rights and a cultural studies class this summer.  I still owe both professors a paper.  But after sitting through my independent study professor’s seminar on metaethics and TAing for my cultural studies professor for the same intro to Cultural Studies class for which I owe her a paper . . . I had an idea.  The magnum opus on food, animal rights, and veganism.  The academic paper that will (hopefully) get me published in undergrad journals and change the world.

My problem is . . . I don’t know if I have any really unique insight to offer on the topic.  However,  I have the cross disciplinary skills, years of personal and academic research, and that certain something in my writing voice that makes my work accessible (dare I say entertaining) to a fairly wide audience.  Kathryn, my cultural studies prof, suggested doing on-site research of the topic.  Tristram, my philosophy guru and vegan friend, thinks I’d be safe in the realm of thought experiments and current animal rights theory.

My large, impossible goal is to save the world through the philosophy of food.  Or at least the western world . . . we’re pretty bad with that whole food thing these days.  My tiny personal goal is to write a cohesive paper that explores evidence for and soundly argues for veganism . . . that gets me two As in one fell swoop.  My slightly larger goal is to get published in an undergrad journal.  Partly because I want to share my (incredible) wisdom with the world.  Aaaaand partly because I just want to say that I did it.  I’m shooting for between 10 and 15 pages.

I’m hoping that my unique insight on the argument for veganism comes to me in a moment of drunken/caffeinated clarity after I write the first section of my paper outlining the problem and evidence for it.

When I started my independent study on ethics and animal rights, I was hoping to solidify my position on how and why animals deserve rights.  Though now that I’ve been through all the material, talked to Tristram about this stuff for a couple hours and written reactions to everything I read . . . I feel like I’m in the same place as I was when I started.  Though, the study itself did give me insight into some of the most ridiculous arguments against vegetarianism and veganism.  If anything, I’ve worked my argumentation muscle against them.

Oooh, for fun try reading Kathryn Paxton George’s “A Paradox of Ethical Vegetarianism:  Unfairness to Women and Children” if you can find it.  Then try not to pull your hair out while simultaneously having an aneurysm because of all the stupid counter arguments outlined in that paper.  She uses feminist philosophy against veganism . . . but she uses it poorly. So poorly, in fact, I refused to write a reaction to the piece and just did a lot of swearing in my notebook.  Actually . . . I did write a reaction and turned it in.  This is what it said word for word:  “Fuck this article.  Bad logic is used throughout the paper and I can’t take it seriously.  I will gladly discuss it, but I’m not wasting any more of my time writing a formal reaction to it.”  Pieces like her’s that reveal why people hate feminist philosophers so much:  bad logic and ridiculous claims.  There are good feminist philosophers.  I just wish people like this Kathryn Paxton George woman wouldn’t give people so many good examples as to why feminist philosophy is inferior.  Ok.  Rant done.

Now Kathryn Paxton George is going to google her name one day, read what I said, and get angry and call me anti feminist or something . . . I just know it.  And then she’ll ask for a formal refutation of the article . . . and then I’ll have more work to do.  Oh well . . . thus is the nature of blogging.

Anyway.  I’m going to go lay on my kitchen floor for a while and hope something brilliant comes to mind.

PS:  I missed you.  I’ll try never to leave you again.