--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: But any intuition that vegetarianism and…" description: "\"“But any intuition that vegetarianism and humanitarianism go together was shattered in the 20th-century by the treatment of animals under Nazism.266 Hi..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b82/steven-pinker-526_eating-meat_but-any-intuition-that-vegetarianism-and_2684252.jpg" --- # But any intuition that vegetarianism and humanitarianism… ![“But any intuition that vegetarianism and humanitarianism go together was shattered in the 20th-century by the treatment of animals under Nazism.266 Hitler and many of his henchmen were vegetarians, not so much out of compassion for animals as from an obsession with purity, a pagan desire to…” quote by Steven Pinker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b82/steven-pinker-526_eating-meat_but-any-intuition-that-vegetarianism-and_2684252.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b82/steven-pinker-526_eating-meat_but-any-intuition-that-vegetarianism-and_2684252.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b82/steven-pinker-526_eating-meat_but-any-intuition-that-vegetarianism-and_2684252.jpg) > ““But any intuition that vegetarianism and humanitarianism go together was shattered in the 20th-century by the treatment of animals under Nazism.266 Hitler and many of his henchmen were vegetarians, not so much out of compassion for animals as from an obsession with purity, a pagan desire to reconnect to the soil, and a reaction to the anthropocentrism and meat rituals of Judaism. In an unsurpassed display of the human capacity for moral compartmentalization, the Nazis, despite their unspeakable experiments on living humans, instituted the strongest laws for the protection of animals in research that Europe had ever seen. Their laws also mandated humane treatment of animals in farms, movie sets, and restaurants, where fish had to be anesthetized and lobsters killed swiftly before they were cooked. Ever since that bizarre chapter in the history of animal rights, advocates of vegetarianism have had to retire one of their oldest arguments: that eating meat makes people aggressive, and abstaining from it makes them peaceful. Some”” [Steven Pinker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-pinker/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The quote highlights how Nazi vegetarianism was driven by ideology and purity, not compassion, exposing the moral compartmentalization that can separate animal welfare from human cruelty. **In simple terms:** Nazi vegetarianism was about ideology, not kindness to animals. Key Takeaway Recognize that moral motives can be contradictory. Themes history morality animalrights politics psychology Mood thoughtful critical Type historical analytical When to use this quote - academic discussion - ethical debates - policy analysis Key Concepts ethicalcompartmentalization ideologicalpurity animalprotection Questions to Reflect On - Can ideology override empathy? - How do we assess moral consistency? A Different Perspective The example may overgeneralize a specific regime, ignoring broader vegetarian motivations. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Animal Rights](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/animal-rights-2/) [Animals Nazism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/animals-nazism-2606307/) [Eating meat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/eating-meat/) [Food](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/food/) [Henchmen Vegetarians](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/henchmen-vegetarians-2606309/) [Treatment of animals](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/treatment-of-animals/) [Vegetarianism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/vegetarianism/) [Vegetarianism Humanitarianism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/vegetarianism-humanitarianism-2606306/) [Vegetarians Compassion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/vegetarians-compassion-2606308/) ## Related quotes > [The Bible's emphasis is on the good treatment of animals, and not just the forbidding of cruel treatment.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-graham/the-bible-s-emphasis-is-on-the-good-treatment-of-animals-and-not-just/) [Billy Graham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-graham/) > [... People are still disturbingly vague about the treatment of animals. People still seem to believe that meat is a particular substance not at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/people-are-still-disturbingly-vague-about-the-treatment-of-animals/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“We are in the midst--much closer to the beginning than to the end, I believe--of an epic, political, cultural, and economic realignment in treatment…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wayne-pacelle/we-are-in-the-midst-much-closer-to-the-beginning-than-to-the-end-i/) [Wayne Pacelle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wayne-pacelle/) > [I'm very involved with PETA - People for Ethical Treatment of Animals - and Greenpeace and a lot of women's shelter and clothing giveaways.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pink/i-m-very-involved-with-peta-people-for-ethical-treatment-of-animals/) [Pink](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pink/) > [The current treatment of animals in the livestock trade definitely renders the consumption of meat as halachically unacceptable as the product of illegitimate means.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-rosen/the-current-treatment-of-animals-in-the-livestock-trade-definitely/) [David Rosen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-rosen/) > [“If man is not to stifle his human feelings, he must practice kindness towards animals, for he who is cruel to animals becomes hard…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/immanuel-kant/if-man-is-not-to-stifle-his-human-feelings-he-must-practice-kindness/) [Immanuel Kant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/immanuel-kant/) > [We aren't consistent in our treatment of animals.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-rooney/we-aren-t-consistent-in-our-treatment-of-animals/) [Andy Rooney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-rooney/) > [Auschwitz begins wherever someone looks at a slaughterhouse and thinks: they’re only animals.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodor-adorno/auschwitz-begins-wherever-someone-looks-at-a-slaughterhouse-and/) [Theodor Adorno](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodor-adorno/) > [The moment I began to understand what was going on with the treatment of animals, it led me more and more in the way…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bryan-adams/the-moment-i-began-to-understand-what-was-going-on-with-the-treatment/) [Bryan Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bryan-adams/) > [The industrial food system is so cruel and so horrific in its treatment of animals. It never asks the question: 'Should a pig be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joel-salatin/the-industrial-food-system-is-so-cruel-and-so-horrific-in-its/) [Joel Salatin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joel-salatin/) > [Our treatment of animals, in every department, is deeply and systematically immoral. Becoming a vegetarian is only the most minimal ethical response to the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colin-mcginn/our-treatment-of-animals-in-every-department-is-deeply-and/) [Colin McGinn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colin-mcginn/) > [I've got some incredible fans actually - so loyal and they make me birthday cards and Christmas cards. I got this package of poems…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/debby-ryan/i-ve-got-some-incredible-fans-actually-so-loyal-and-they-make-me/) [Debby Ryan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/debby-ryan/) > [“Our treatment of animals and our attitude toward them are crucial not only to any pretensions we have to ethical behavior but the humankind's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joy-williams/our-treatment-of-animals-and-our-attitude-toward-them-are-crucial-not/) [Joy Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joy-williams/) > [He who is cruel to animals becomes hard also in his dealings with men. We can judge the heart of a man by his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/immanuel-kant/he-who-is-cruel-to-animals-becomes-hard-also-in-his-dealings-with-men/) [Immanuel Kant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/immanuel-kant/) > [Learning about factory farms and their horrendous treatment of animals is what made me become vegetarian in the first place. I also support the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-mennell/learning-about-factory-farms-and-their-horrendous-treatment-of/) [Laura Mennell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-mennell/) ## More by Steven Pinker > [Forcing modern speakers of English to not - whoops, not to split an infinitive because it isn't done in Latin makes about as much…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-pinker/forcing-modern-speakers-of-english-to-not-whoops-not-to-split-an/) [Steven Pinker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-pinker/) > [Consistent style prevents presentation from getting in the way of content.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-pinker/consistent-style-prevents-presentation-from-getting-in-the-way-of/) [Steven Pinker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-pinker/) > [The supposedly immaterial soul, we now know, can be bisected with a knife, altered by chemicals, started or stopped by electricity, and extinguished by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-pinker/the-supposedly-immaterial-soul-we-now-know-can-be-bisected-with-a/) [Steven Pinker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-pinker/) > [I've never argued that humans are massively hot-wired. What I was trying to point out was that you can't understand how we learn unless…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-pinker/i-ve-never-argued-that-humans-are-massively-hot-wired-what-i-was/) [Steven Pinker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-pinker/) > [As many political writers have pointed out, commitment to political equality is not an empirical claim that people are clones.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-pinker/as-many-political-writers-have-pointed-out-commitment-to-political/) [Steven Pinker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-pinker/) > [Since violence is largely a male pastime, cultures that empower women tend to move away from the glorification of violence and are less likely…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-pinker/since-violence-is-largely-a-male-pastime-cultures-that-empower-women/) [Steven Pinker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-pinker/) > [When it comes to explaining human thought and behavior, the possibility that heredity plays any role at all still has the power to shock.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-pinker/when-it-comes-to-explaining-human-thought-and-behavior-the/) [Steven Pinker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-pinker/) > [Morality is not just any old topic in psychology but close to our conception of the meaning of life. Moral goodness is what gives…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-pinker/morality-is-not-just-any-old-topic-in-psychology-but-close-to-our/) [Steven Pinker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-pinker/) > [“The biblical story of the binding of Isaac shows that human sacrifice was far from unthinkable in the 1st millennium BCE. The Israelites boasted…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-pinker/the-biblical-story-of-the-binding-of-isaac-shows-that-human-sacrifice/) [Steven Pinker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-pinker/) > [Part of the bargain of being alive is that one takes a chance at dying a premature or painful death, be it from violence,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-pinker/part-of-the-bargain-of-being-alive-is-that-one-takes-a-chance-at/) [Steven Pinker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-pinker/) > [In fact, without a specification of a creature's goals, the very idea of intelligence is meaningless. A toadstool could be given a genius award…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-pinker/in-fact-without-a-specification-of-a-creature-s-goals-the-very-idea/) [Steven Pinker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-pinker/) > [“The obvious cure for the tragic shortcomings of human intuition in a high-tech world is education. And this offers priorities for educational policy: to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-pinker/the-obvious-cure-for-the-tragic-shortcomings-of-human-intuition-in-a/) [Steven Pinker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-pinker/) > [If you look in general at people who live in anarchy, they have quite high rates of death from either homicide or warfare or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-pinker/if-you-look-in-general-at-people-who-live-in-anarchy-they-have-quite/) [Steven Pinker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-pinker/) > [“In some eras, self-control defines the paragon of a decent person: a grown-up, a person of dignity, a lady or a gentleman, a mensch.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-pinker/in-some-eras-self-control-defines-the-paragon-of-a-decent-person-a/) [Steven Pinker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-pinker/) > [Knowledge is a continuous fabric, in which ideas are connected to other ideas. Reason-free zones, in which people can assert arbitrary beliefs safe from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-pinker/knowledge-is-a-continuous-fabric-in-which-ideas-are-connected-to/) [Steven Pinker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-pinker/) [Explore all 495 Steven Pinker quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-pinker/) ## More Eating meat quotes > [For fear of causing terror to living beings, Mahamati, let the Bodhisattva who is disciplining himself to attain compassion, refrain from eating flesh.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gautama-buddha/for-fear-of-causing-terror-to-living-beings-mahamati-let-the/) [Gautama Buddha](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gautama-buddha/) > [Eating meat is the most disgusting thing I can think of. It's like biting into your grandmother.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-morrissey/eating-meat-is-the-most-disgusting-thing-i-can-think-of-it-s-like/) [Steven Morrissey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-morrissey/) > [Almost always when I told someone I was writing a book about "eating animals", they assumed, even without knowing anything about my views, that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-safran-foer/almost-always-when-i-told-someone-i-was-writing-a-book-about-eating/) [Jonathan Safran Foer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-safran-foer/) > [Not eating meat really keeps me trim…meat, and what's usually served with it, is a big calorie packer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/olivia-wilde/not-eating-meat-really-keeps-me-trim-meat-and-what-s-usually-served/) [Olivia Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/olivia-wilde/) > [Meat eaters don't like me because I call for moderation, and vegetarians don't like me because I say there's nothing wrong with eating meat.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vaclav-smil/meat-eaters-don-t-like-me-because-i-call-for-moderation-and/) [Vaclav Smil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vaclav-smil/) > [If man is able to live healthily as a vegetarian but chooses not to be one, then man is guilty of eating meat!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mehmet-murat-ildan/if-man-is-able-to-live-healthily-as-a-vegetarian-but-chooses-not-to/) [Mehmet Murat Ildan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mehmet-murat-ildan/) > [Throughout my work, my subjects are being told that they must change their diet in order to make the adjustment into the new world.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dolores-cannon/throughout-my-work-my-subjects-are-being-told-that-they-must-change/) [Dolores Cannon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dolores-cannon/) > [Everything we eat begins with a plant turning solar energy into carbohydrates. Everything. Whether we're eating meat or eating vegetables, it all begins there.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-pollan/everything-we-eat-begins-with-a-plant-turning-solar-energy-into/) [Michael Pollan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-pollan/) > [Someone once asked me, 'How can you get as strong as an ox without eating any meat?' My answer was, 'Have you ever seen…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrik-baboumian/someone-once-asked-me-how-can-you-get-as-strong-as-an-ox-without/) [Patrik Baboumian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrik-baboumian/) > [“Eating meat to get protein is about as efficient as paddling a canoe with a chopstick.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jesse-jacoby/eating-meat-to-get-protein-is-about-as-efficient-as-paddling-a-canoe/) [Jesse Jacoby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jesse-jacoby/) > [By eating meat we share the responsibility of climate change, the destruction of our forests, and the poisoning of our air and water. The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/by-eating-meat-we-share-the-responsibility-of-climate-change-the/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Of course black lives matter. All lives matter. I stopped eating meat because their lives matter to me. I don't think it's necessary for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rza/of-course-black-lives-matter-all-lives-matter-i-stopped-eating-meat/) [Rza](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rza/) > [I'm bigger now than when I was eating meat. My lifts in the gym are better. I'm in better shape.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-bryan/i-m-bigger-now-than-when-i-was-eating-meat-my-lifts-in-the-gym-are/) [Daniel Bryan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-bryan/) > [I think if you're against cruelty and you look at what happens to animals in slaughterhouses and on factory farms, you have to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ingrid-newkirk/i-think-if-you-re-against-cruelty-and-you-look-at-what-happens-to/) [Ingrid Newkirk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ingrid-newkirk/) > [I stopped eating meat about six years ago, when I was working on the movie Selena. During the shoot, I had to hold a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/constance-marie/i-stopped-eating-meat-about-six-years-ago-when-i-was-working-on-the/) [Constance Marie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/constance-marie/) [Browse all 124 Eating meat quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/eating-meat/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“But any intuition that vegetarianism and humanitarianism go together was shattered in the 20th-century by the treatment of animals under Nazism.266 Hitler and many of his henchmen were vegetarians, not so much out of compassion for animals as from an obsession with purity, a pagan desire to reconnect to the soil, and a reaction to the anthropocentrism and meat rituals of Judaism. In an unsurpassed display of the human capacity for moral compartmentalization, the Nazis, despite their unspeakable experiments on living humans, instituted the strongest laws for the protection of animals in research that Europe had ever seen. Their laws also mandated humane treatment of animals in farms, movie sets, and restaurants, where fish had to be anesthetized and lobsters killed swiftly before they were cooked. Ever since that bizarre chapter in the history of animal rights, advocates of vegetarianism have had to retire one of their oldest arguments: that eating meat makes people aggressive, and abstaining from it makes them peaceful. 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