We discuss the biggest questions: "what's real?", "who matters?" and "how to make a better world?" with scientists, celebrities, activists, writers and philosophers. The Sentientism worldview is "evidence, reason and compassion for all sentient beings." It's a simple, yet radical, philosophy that's grounded in reality (naturalistic epistemology) and has compassion for all sentient beings (mostly human and non-human animals). Naturalism & sentiocentrism combined.
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Robert Grillo is an activist, author and speaker for all species. He is also the founder and director of Free from Harm, a non profit dedicated to helping end animal exploitation. He founded Slaughter Free Chicago in 2018 which has now grown into the Slaughter Free Network. As a communications professional for over 25 years, Robert once worked on large food industry accounts where he acquired a behind-the-scenes perspective on food branding and marketing. His book, Farm to Fable: The Fictions of Our Animal-Consuming Culture, explores the powerful narratives driving our culture of mass animal consumption. Robert’s other published works include contributions to The Humane Hoax, Caged: Top Activists Share Their Wisdom on Effective Animal Advocacy and Circles of Compassion: Connecting Issues of Justice.
In Sentientist Conversations we talk about the most important questions: “what’s real?”, “who matters?” and “how can we make a better world?”
Sentientism answers those questions with “evidence, reason & compassion for all sentient beings.” The video of our conversation is here on YouTube.
00:00 Clips!
00:55 Welcome
– Free from Harm’s “Humane Farmer” transfarmation
stories: https://freefromharm.org/humane-farmer/
03:25 Robert’s Intro
– Author, speaker, activist
– Free from Harm’s mission: “advance a #plantbased food
system and challenge the dominance of animal agriculture through bold and innovative grass-roots action.”
– Evolving from an on-line resource to “on the ground
activism”
05:16 What’s Real?
– At 10 yrs old father passed away. Creative, jazz,
painting, architecture
– Exploring dad’s library… ways of thinking, ethics
– “He was a non-believer – not a spiritual person”
– Mother also non-religious
– Ordinary middle-class upbringing
– “I was definitely an outsider… I didn’t really fit in… now I embrace it… causes me to question… being open to new ideas and scepticism… I feel like it’s a strength”
– The risks of scepticism spilling over into conspiracism
– “Sometimes it’s a small group of people that sense an
injustice… that mainstream society doesn’t… that’s the role of activism… awakening and triggering of popular support to bring justice.”
– JW: Why epistemology matters “it’s not just a
popularity contest…” it’s the weight of evidence
– Spirituality / supernatural / transcendent?: “We have
so much to deal with here that I don’t have time for that stuff… I’m not seeking it out at this point in my life”
12:56 What Matters?
– Experiencing father’s suffering and death as a child. “I developed a sense of empathy”
– “I didn’t really come into an understanding of the
suffering of other animals… until much later in life”
– Emotional (e.g. empathy, care) vs. intellectual (utility, justice, rights) moral influences
– Sympathy, empathy & compassion
17:28 Who Matters?
– The risks of care/empathy in narrowing our moral scope
– “I came to realise what the real conditions were for
the animals that suffer in our food system… their suffering was like our suffering.”
– Watching documentaries and @mercyforanimals investigative footage
– “Humane, sustainable
farming?… empty marketing promises.”
28:44 A Better Future?
01:07:30 Follow Robert
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