''An Essay on Abstinence from Animal Food, as a Moral Duty'' is a book on ethical vegetarianism and

animal rights Animal rights is the philosophy according to which many or all sentient animals have moral worth that is independent of their utility for humans, and that their most basic interests—such as avoiding suffering—should be afforded the sa ...

written by

Joseph Ritson Joseph Ritson (2 October 1752 – 23 September 1803) was an English antiquary who was well known for his 1795 compilation of the Robin Hood legend. After a visit to France in 1791, he became a staunch supporter of the ideals of the French Rev ...

, first published in 1802.

Description

Ritson became a vegetarian in 1772 at the age of 19. He was influenced by Bernard Mandeville's ''

The Fable of the Bees ''The Fable of The Bees: or, Private Vices, Publick Benefits'' (1714) is a book by the Anglo-Dutch social philosopher Bernard Mandeville. It consists of the satirical poem ''The Grumbling Hive: or, Knaves turn'd Honest'', which was first publis ...

'' and adopted a milk and vegetable diet.Fordyce, William. (1857). ''The History and Antiquities of the County Palatine of Durham, Volume 2''. A. Fullarton and Co. p. 173Spencer, Colin. (2002). ''Vegetarianism: A History''. Four Walls Eight Windows. pp. 221-222. Ritson stated that for thirty years he had never tasted fish, flesh or fowl but he did eat eggs because it deprives no animal of life. He campaigned for the welfare of animals and the ethical necessity of a vegetarian diet. Ritson spent years collecting information for the book.Bronson, Bertrand H. (1938). ''Joseph Ritson: Scholar-at-Arms, Volume 1''. University of California Press. pp. 265-266 He argued that animal food is cruel, unnecessary and the result of provocative

cannibalism Cannibalism is the act of consuming another individual of the same species as food. Cannibalism is a common ecological interaction in the animal kingdom and has been recorded in more than 1,500 species. Human cannibalism is well documented, b ...

. Ritson believed that man's only chance of happiness is to develop higher moral virtues of benevolence, justice and humanity by adopting a vegetarian diet. The book argues on physiological grounds that an animal diet is not natural for mankind and is a cause of disease and suffering.Tester, Keith. (2015). ''Animals and Society (RLE Social Theory): The Humanity of Animal Rights''. Routledge. pp. 132-136. The book was declined by many publishers. It was published by Sir Richard Phillips a vegetarian, in 1802. It is one of the first works to argue for vegetarianism from an ethical basis.

Thomas Tryon Thomas Tryon (6 September 1634 – 21 August 1703) was an English sugar merchant, author of popular self-help books, and early advocate of animal rights and vegetarianism. Life Born in 1634 in Bibury near Cirencester, Gloucestershire, England, ...

and George Cheyne had authored books advocating a vegetarian diet but Ritson was the one who made vegetarianism a moral imperative. Ritson argued that meat-eating had a negative effect on the human character as it made people aggressive. Ritson criticized English

blood sport A blood sport or bloodsport is a category of sport or entertainment that involves bloodshed. Common examples of the former include combat sports such as cockfighting and dog fighting, and some forms of hunting and fishing. Activities char ...

s of his day which he associated with the degeneracy of meat-eating: Ritson was an

atheist Atheism, in the broadest sense, is an absence of belief in the existence of deities. Less broadly, atheism is a rejection of the belief that any deities exist. In an even narrower sense, atheism is specifically the position that there no ...

and did not utilize religious arguments for vegetarianism. Ritson rejected creationism and similar to

James Burnett, Lord Monboddo James Burnett, Lord Monboddo (baptised 25 October 1714; died 26 May 1799) was a Scottish judge, scholar of linguistic evolution, philosopher and deist. He is most famous today as a founder of modern comparative historical linguistics. In 176 ...

believed that men were related to monkeys. He tried to eliminate the boundaries that distinguish humans from animals by arguing that humans are similar to vegetarian animals and language was no more natural for man than for monkeys or parrots.Adams, Carol J. (2010). ''The Sexual Politics of Meat (20th Anniversary Edition): A Feminist-Vegetarian Critical Theory''.

Continuum International Publishing Group Continuum International Publishing Group was an academic publisher of books with editorial offices in London and New York City. It was purchased by Nova Capital Management in 2005. In July 2011, it was taken over by Bloomsbury Publishing. , al ...

. pp. 141-143.

Reception

Influence

Ritson's book influenced the vegetarian movement. Many of his arguments such as one does not need meat to survive, animal food is not necessary for strength and a vegetarian diet promotes health would later be utilized in vegetarian publications. Ritson's book heavily influenced

Percy Bysshe Shelley Percy Bysshe Shelley ( ; 4 August 17928 July 1822) was one of the major English Romantic poets. A radical in his poetry as well as in his political and social views, Shelley did not achieve fame during his lifetime, but recognition of his achie ...

who utilized many of his vegetarian arguments. In 1939, Historian David Lee Clark compared paragraphs from Ritson's book to Shelley's '' A Vindication of Natural Diet'' (1813) and noted that in addition to general similarities "there are many parallels in phrasal patterns which could hardly be accidental."

Criticism

Historian of vegetarianism Colin Spencer commented that Ritson's ideas about abstinence from meat-eating were not popular with the majority of people during his time, who considered his views dangerous. Henry Brougham and

Sydney Smith Sydney Smith (3 June 1771 – 22 February 1845) was an English wit, writer, and Anglican cleric. Early life and education Born in Woodford, Essex, England, Smith was the son of merchant Robert Smith (1739–1827) and Maria Olier (1750–1801) ...

criticized the book in a lengthy review in ''

The Edinburgh Review The ''Edinburgh Review'' is the title of four distinct intellectual and cultural magazines. The best known, longest-lasting, and most influential of the four was the third, which was published regularly from 1802 to 1929. ''Edinburgh Review'' ...

'', in 1803. They took issue with the inconsistences of Ritson's moral vegetarianism. For example, they noted that although Ritson abstained from meat he consumed milk and eggs, "Is not the consumption of milk the starving of calves? and is not the devouring of eggs, the causing of acute misery to a tender mother, and the procuring of abortions?". They stated that whilst writing the vegetarian arguments for his book, Ritson had used a

quill A quill is a writing tool made from a moulted flight feather (preferably a primary wing-feather) of a large bird. Quills were used for writing with ink before the invention of the dip pen, the metal- nibbed pen, the fountain pen, and, eventual ...

plucked from a goose, ink made from insects and a whale-tallow candle. A reviewer in ''

The Monthly Review ''The Monthly Review'' (1749–1845) was an English periodical founded by Ralph Griffiths, a Nonconformist bookseller. The first periodical in England to offer reviews, it featured the novelist and poet Oliver Goldsmith as an early contributor ...

'' in 1803 also noted inconsistences with Ritson's vegetarian arguments, such as his consumption of milk. "Milk, too, which Mr. Ritson so strongly recommends as food, is an animal production; and it cannot be procured in sufficient quantities for the use of man, without prodigious injustice to the author's clients, the sucking calves, asses and goats." Negative reviews also appeared the same year in ''

The British Critic The ''British Critic: A New Review'' was a quarterly publication, established in 1793 as a conservative and high-church review journal riding the tide of British reaction against the French Revolution. The headquarters was in London. The journ ...

'' and ''

The Critical Review ''The Critical Review'' was a British publication appearing from 1756 to 1817. It was first edited by Tobias Smollett, from 1756 to 1763. Contributors included Samuel Johnson, David Hume, John Hunter, and Oliver Goldsmith. Early years The ...

''. In 1896, the ''

Dictionary of National Biography The ''Dictionary of National Biography'' (''DNB'') is a standard work of reference on notable figures from British history, published since 1885. The updated ''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography'' (''ODNB'') was published on 23 September ...

'' suggested that the work "bears marks of incipient insanity".Lee, Sidney. (1896)
"Ritson, Joseph"
In ''Dictionary of National Biography, 1885-1900''. Volume 48. p. 330 Biographer

Bertrand Harris Bronson Bertrand Harris Bronson (June 22, 1902 – March 14, 1986) was an American academic and professor in the English department at the University of California, Berkeley. Biography He was born on June 22, 1902, in Lawrenceville, New Jersey. After st ...

commented that much of the content from Ritson's book was dubious:

Carol J. Adams Carol J. Adams (born 1951) is an American writer, feminist, and animal rights advocate. She is the author of several books, including '' The Sexual Politics of Meat: A Feminist-Vegetarian Critical Theory'' (1990) and ''The Pornography of Meat'' ...

has rejected the suggestions of Ritson's 19th century critics that the book was a sign of insanity. Adams noted that Ritson's last work ''Life of King Arthur from Ancient Historians and Authentic Documents'', published posthumously in 1825 was widely reviewed as an early example of modern scholarship. Adams questioned "If Ritson's final work reveals a mature scholar, how can his penultimate work be a sign of his insanity? Because it is being judged by the texts of meat which dismember vegetarian words."

References

External links