PSYC 2100 Lecture Notes - Lecture 2: Marvin Harris, Norbert Elias, Vegetarianism
Document Summary
Soci 2040 lecture 6 meat-eating and vegetarianism feb 23th 2016. Most children raised with idea that eating meat is normal and desirable. Vegetarianism defined in terms of avoidance of eating the flesh of food animals. Meat as a food source: good source of protein. Contains all essential amino acids needed by the body (can get them from plant sources, but not as readily) Significant role in british and north american diets. Meat difficult to obtain in the wild, domesticated animals resource intensive. Meat as a convenient food source (high energy, high protein, low bulk food) Good match between meat and our nutritional needs. Harris: develops an evolutionary and ecological approach to understanding food preferences and avoidances. Food preferences and avoidances shaped by calculation of practical costs and benefits within a particular ecological setting. Ecological: understood in terms of physical environment and social circumstances. Tend to have a more favorable balance of practical benefits than costs (cheaper, easier to produce)