Episode Details

Kristof Dhont studies the psychology behind humans’ complicated feelings about animals. In particular, his research looks at how the existence of “speciesism” can stem from the same psychological factors that also produce other social prejudices. In this episode, Kristof and I talk about how people avoid connecting meat to the animals it comes from, how a social dominance worldview gives rise to speciesism, and what psychology can (and can’t) tell us about effective advocacy.

Check out Dr. Dhont’s new book: Why We Love and Exploit Animals: Bridging Insights from Academia and Advocacy

And as I mention at the end of the episode, a few years ago, I wrote my own vegan cookbook: Vegan Spanish Cooking.

Some of the things that come up in this episode:

• How people disconnect “meat” from the animals it comes from (Kunst & Hohle, 2016)
• Why people still eat meat even when they object to its production (“the meat-paradox”; Bastian & Loughnan, 2016)
• Denying animals’ “minds” to justify meat-eating (Bastian, Loughnan, Haslamn, & Radke, 2011) 
• “Social dominance orientation” (see this helpful summary)
• Connecting social dominance and speciesism (Dhont et al., 2014; 2016)
• How dehumanization reflects treating animals as lesser beings (Costello & Hodson, 2010)

 
For a transcript of this show, visit the episode's webpage: http://opinionsciencepodcast.com/episode/how-we-think-about-animals-with-kristof-dhont/

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