FOR THE MOTION
Clinical Researcher, Author of “21-Day Weight Loss Kickstart”
FOR THE MOTION
President and Co-Founder of the Farm Sanctuary
AGAINST THE MOTION
Nutritional Sciences Researcher; Blogger at The Daily Lipid
AGAINST THE MOTION
Farmer & Author
MODERATOR
Host and Moderator-in-Chief
This week:
- Eating meat vs. plant-based diets: Which is better for your dinner plate?
- Join us at the Comedy Cellar in NYC on 9/10 for a debate on the state of masculinity
- Your Sunday reading list
As we head into Labor Day, a few things strike me as timeless. One, for those of us who make a tradition of the end-of-summer BBQ, is the impulse to throw something great on the grill.
The second concerns the menu for the meal — and any meal for that matter — where the timelessly debatable question is: meat or no meat?
The divide between carnivores and vegans is a difference over many things. Health. Ethics. Zoology. Agricultural practice. This week, we are giving a second outing to a past debate that explored this very divide in all these aspects. The motion was framed as “Don’t Eat Anything With A Face.” It was one of the most popular and informative we’ve ever put on, back when Open to Debate went by the name Intelligence Squared, and when we asked a live audience to vote to pick the winner.
Combined with the fact that this one concerned not just policy, but a truly personal choice (for all of us), this added up to a special kind of energy, which you’ll hear as you listen. There was a lot of passion, a lot of emotion, and even a little humor, and yes, one side won and one side didn’t.
Oh, and by the way, vegetarians had their say too.
I hope you get a chance to listen.
Sincerely,
John
POINT/COUNTERPOINT
Should You Eat Anything With A Face?
YES: Chris Masterjohn
“Simply put, many nutrients are much easier to get from animal products than from plant products…It is unlikely that supplementing our way out of these nutrient deficiencies, moreover, will be a complete success because all of these nutrients have very complex interactions with the other components present in the foods in which we find them.”
NO: Neal Barnard
“When we look at broad population studies, the meat eaters are always the heaviest group. And the people who eat no meat are always the thinnest. Diabetes is the same way. It’s about 8% of adult meat eaters and among vegetarians, 3% high blood pressure, exactly the same. You just don’t see it very much in people following vegetarian diets.”
YES: Joel Salatin
“Life requires death. The fact that all of us can come to this luxurious room, comfortable and well-fed, and entertain ourselves by debating whether we should viscerally and actively participate in our role on an ecological continuum is bizarre. Native Americans ate ten pounds of buffalo a day when they could get it, and plenty of starving children in the world would be grateful for a morsel of anything, whether it wiggles or not.”
NO: Gene Bauer
“The key point is, if we can live well without causing harm, why wouldn’t we do it? So the question is, how do we want to feel when we treat other animals the way we treat them? On these factory farms, [they] are treated horribly. I visited farms across the country. I’ve seen animals put in these small cages where they can’t move, they’re living in their feces. They’re screaming to get out of their cages, and they live that way their whole lives.”
Are Men Okay? Attend our LIVE debate at the Comedy Cellar in NYC
Men are falling behind in our society, and some point to traditional ideas of masculinity as the cause. What does it mean to “be a man” today, and how do social constructs and labels like toxic masculinity impact the question? With humor and an open mind, we’ll unpack one of the most charged and complex questions in our culture today — “Is Masculinity A Prison?” — and who it’s helping or hurting.
When: Wednesday, September 10th
Where: Comedy Cellar at The Village Underground, 130 W 3rd St. (Between 6th Avenue and MacDougal Street)
Time: Doors open at 5:30 PM, debate starts at 6:00 PM
Tickets: $25 – Please note that the venue also has a two-item minimum per attendee. Buy Tickets here
Arguing YES: Lux Alptraum, Writer, Journalist, and Sex Educator
Arguing NO: Mike Pesca, Host of “The Gist” Podcast
Guest Moderator: Nayeema Raza, Journalist & Host of “Smart Girl Dumb Questions”
WEEKLY POINTS OF VIEW
Unions aren’t just good for workers—they also benefit communities and democracy
Celine McNicholas, Margaret Poydock, Heidi Shierholz, and Hilary Wething | August 20, 2025
Economic Policy Institute
Watch Heidi’s debate on whether the FTC should ban non-compete clauses
The Southern Surge in Education
Frederick M. Hess | August 21, 2025
National Review
Watch Frederick’s debate on whether we should embrace the Common Core
A New Foreign Policy for Europe
Jeffrey D. Sachs | August 21, 2025
CIRSD Horizons
Could ‘Hamilton’ Be Made Today?
Joe Nocera | August 20, 2025
The Free Press
Watch Joe’s debate on whether we should pay college athletes
A Better Way to Think About AI
David Autor and James Manyika | August 24, 2025
The Atlantic
Watch James’s debate on whether globalization has undermined the working class
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