Paul is the author of the national bestseller “Clean Meat“. He’s also the CEO of The Better Meat Co., a four-time TEDx speaker, host of the Business for Good Podcast & inductee in the Animal Rights Hall of Fame.

In these Sentientist Conversations, we talk about the two most important questions: “what’s real?” & “what matters?”. Sentientism is “evidence, commitment and compassion for all sentient beings”.

The audio is also out on our Podcast – subscribe so you don’t miss it (also on most other platforms).

We discuss:

• Being fellow “sents” (thanks AJ Jacobs!)
• Advocating Sentientism long before hearing the term
• Vegetarian then vegan at 13 in 1993 (despite originally thinking it would eventually lead to death 🙂 )
• Carl Lewis the sprinter as an inspirational vegan
• Volunteering in animal protection as a teenager
• “Trying to end humanity’s war on the rest of the planet”
• Founding Compassion over Killing at high-school and taking it national
• The Humane Society
• Paul’s “Clean Meat” book – how food tech might do the most good for non-human animals
• Easier to act our way into a new way of thinking than to think our way into a new way of acting. Making unethical practices obselete
• Ending slavery as a lesson in social change (it was considered normal and natural through most human history)
• Founding The Better Meat Company
• Jewish upbringing and identity – “Even if you question the existence of the supernatural they don’t kick you out”
• An animal conscious family. Rescue dogs as family members (follow Eddie on Instagram)
• Switching to take the perspective of non-human animals + standing up to “frog baseball”
• Compassion for the suffering of others as a moral foundation
• Being kicked out of a Hebrew lesson for asking why god would ask for animal sacrifices
• The rich tradition of animal compassion/veg*nism within Judaism
• Israel as the #2 most vegan country
• Utilitarianism and Peter Singer – “anti suffering & pro happiness”
• Loving kindness meditation
• Aspiring to The Paradoxical Commandments
• Evolution isn’t perfectly driven towards truth or rationality
• How groups can socially reward individual faith in fictions
• Sometimes delusions can be useful
• Humility at the heart of naturalism and science. Being comfortable not knowing
• The confidence that sometimes comes with ignorance
• Leaving the world a better place (less suffering / more flourishing)
• Not letting the perfect be the enemy of the good
• The ethical inertia of social norms and traditions
• The Honour Code
• Animal farming will be condemned by future generations
• Consistent US voting against poor farming practices. Need that codified into law & corporate policy
• Cost reduction pressure worsens farming conditions
• Tech can render exploitative practices obselete (like cars re: horses, kerosene re: whales, pens vs. quills)
• Fast, cheap, easy alternatives likely to reduce more suffering than better ethics
• It’s hard to condemn a system you’re still part of
• The moral argument has already been won re: ending animal farming
• People buy food mainly because of price, taste, convenience (not ethics or env.)
• Business for Good vs. ending capitalism? Purpose and/or profit?

You can follow Paul at @PaulHShapiro and visit his web-site here. Better Meat Co. is here.

Sentientism is “Evidence, reason & compassion for all sentient beings.” You can find out more at Sentientism.info. Why not join our “wall” using our simple “I’m a Sentientist” form?

Everyone interested, Sentientist or not, is welcome to join our community groups. Our main group is here on FaceBook.

Thanks to Graham for his post-prod work on this video. Follow him at @cgbessellieu.