Josh Berson

Social scientist Josh Berson argues that meat is not what made humans human and that our future may not be a carnivorous one.

Berson says demand for meat is projected to grow at twice the rate for plant-based foods, but it is driven as much by economic insecurity as by affluence. Meat-eating, he argues, is a sign of poverty. It is a cheap food enabled by a capitalism defined by inequality. Berson says we need to look at the deeply entwined lives of humans and animals in the past, present and future if we are to challenge the myths and beliefs around eating meat.

Berson is an independent social scientist who has held research posts including at the Berggruen Institute and the Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences.

This event is part of the festival’s programme of American literature and culture.
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In association with MIT Press.