ideas
over my years as a philosophy student i wrote essays on topics ranging from bestiality to veganism. since graduating i feel inspired to explore expressing philosophical dilemmas through storytelling- in philosophy these stories tend to be called 'thought experiments'.
Relatively recently, some omnivorous friends and I went out for a meal at Toby Carvery- an old school chain buffet. On this trip I- as a vegetarian- abstained from eating meat. However, as a person who- broadly speaking- believes that the consequences of an action determine whether or not it is immoral, I was left wondering whether my abstinence was entirely pointless. Since Toby Carvery specialises in roasted meats, it is highly unlikely that a vegan or vegetarian would- of their own volition- opt to eat there. This means that it is unlikely that Toby Carvery is particuarly sensitive to the demands of vegan and vegetarian consumers. Because it is unlikely that my abstinence from meat exists as part of a larger movement of Toby Carvery customers who abstain, it is unlikely that my abstinence will have any impact at all on the future meat purchasing practices of the restaurant chain. The fact that it is a buffet, and I am certain that nobody working there noticed me abstaining from meat, the already microscopic chance that my abstinence will contribute to a group signal to Toby Carvery to change its practices, was reduced to null. Seemingly my abstinence from meat resulted in positive consequence. In reaction to this moral dilemma - the only reasonable course of action seemed to leave without paying.
