"The First Step" (AKA: "The Morals of Diet") is an article by

Leo Tolstoy Count Lev Nikolayevich TolstoyTolstoy pronounced his first name as , which corresponds to the romanization ''Lyov''. () (; russian: link=no, Лев Николаевич Толстой,In Tolstoy's day, his name was written as in pre-refor ...

primarily advocating for

vegetarianism Vegetarianism is the practice of abstaining from the consumption of meat (red meat, poultry, seafood, insects, and the flesh of any other animal). It may also include abstaining from eating all by-products of animal slaughter. Vegetarianism may ...

, but at the same time also briefly mentioning themes relating to

anarchism Anarchism is a political philosophy and movement that is skeptical of all justifications for authority and seeks to abolish the institutions it claims maintain unnecessary coercion and hierarchy, typically including, though not necessa ...

and

pacifism Pacifism is the opposition or resistance to war, militarism (including conscription and mandatory military service) or violence. Pacifists generally reject theories of Just War. The word ''pacifism'' was coined by the French peace campaign ...

. It was Tolstoy's preface to a book by Howard Williams ('' The Ethics of Diet''), which Tolstoy translated into Russian.

Content

According to South African novelist

Imraan Coovadia Imraan Coovadia (born 1970) is a South African novelist, essayist, and academic. He is the director of the creative writing program at the University of Cape Town. He has taught 19th-Century Studies and Creative Writing at a number of US universi ...

, writing in 2020, the article begins with a vivid description of the slaughter of a pig by a butcher armed with a butcher's knife; Coovadia notes that this is clearly in line with Tolstoy's style of "plainness and force." While it is a book about the rights of animals, it also takes a decidedly religious tone, invoking that one must practice self-abnegation, fasting, and renouncing worldliness. Ronald D. Leblanc, lecturer at University of New Hampshire, says that the essay is divided into two unequal halves, the first about religious and ascetic reasons for vegetarianism, while the latter half is about the humanitarian and ethical reasons for vegetarianism. In addition, Tolstoy suggests that vegetarianism gives one sufficient strength to resist sexual impulses, which has drawn criticism from contemporary psychologists who describe the piece as "pseudo-erotic." Tolstoy ends the piece taking a more psychological approach, suggesting that the killing and eating of animals deafens the sense of human beings to feel sympathy, pity, and compassion for others around them.

Legacy

This work was considered instrumental in convincing Gandhi to maintain his vegetarian diet. According to Charlotte Alston, lecturer at

Northumbria University , mottoeng = A lifetime of learning , established = 1877 - Rutherford College of Technology1969 - Newcastle Polytechnic1992 - gained university status , type = Public , budget = � ...

, Tolstoy had planned to established a vegetarian journal in 1893, with the same title, ''The First Step.'' In 1900, it was translated to English by the famous Tolstoy translators

Louise Maude Aylmer Maude (28 March 1858 – 25 August 1938) and Louise Maude (1855–1939) were English translators of Leo Tolstoy's works, and Aylmer Maude also wrote his friend Tolstoy's biography, ''The Life of Tolstoy''. After living many years in Russi ...

and

Aylmer Maude Aylmer Maude (28 March 1858 – 25 August 1938) and Louise Maude (1855–1939) were English translators of Leo Tolstoy's works, and Aylmer Maude also wrote his friend Tolstoy's biography, ''The Life of Tolstoy''. After living many years in Russi ...

, and in 1905 it was translated again by

Leo Wiener Leo Wiener (1862–1939) was an American historian, linguist, author and translator. Biography Wiener was born in Białystok (then in the Russian Empire), of Lithuanian Jewish origin. His father was Zalmen (Solomon) Wiener, and his mother was ...

References

External links

* Original Text *
''The First Step''
from RevoltLib.com *

from

Marxists.org Marxists Internet Archive (also known as MIA or Marxists.org) is a non-profit online encyclopedia that hosts a multilingual library (created in 1990) of the works of communist, anarchist, and socialist writers, such as Karl Marx, Friedrich Enge ...

*
''The First Step''
from

Libcom.org libcom.org is an online platform featuring a variety of libertarian communist essays, blog posts, and archives, primarily in English. It was founded in 2005 by editors in the United States and the United Kingdom. Libcom.org also has a forum and ...

*
''The First Step''
from TheAnarchistLibrary.org {{DEFAULTSORT:First Step Short stories by Leo Tolstoy 1891 short stories Books about animal rights Books about vegetarianism English-language books Vegetarian-related mass media

Content

Legacy

See also

References

External links