by Halløjsa!
I'm a new member of your forum, thanks to Brian Tomasik (thank you, Brian), so here's a bit about me:
My name is Magnus Vinding. What I do is that I write books, which I do because I believe it is one of the best ways to have a positive impact in the world -- it is the best one I can see, at least. "Our ideas matter immensely, so I try to spread good ones." That pretty much explains what I try to do and why.
What ideas do I try to spread, then? I think the idea that we should maximize our collective well-being -- the idea that appears to lie at the core of this forum -- is perhaps the most important one of all to spread. If we had a culture animated by that idea, and an entire society that lived accordingly with great dedication, we would be having a much better world. So I try to spread that idea in the hope of moving us closer toward that state. That is what I try to do in my book 'Moral Truths: The Foundation of Ethics' (https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/489831) wherein I defend it as morally true. And spreading this idea is basically what try to do in my latest book too: 'The Meaning of Life: An Examination of Purpose' (https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/504618).
I also try to figure out some of the basic implications of that general maxim and try to convey those (and that is also one of the main points of spreading that maxim: if we all had that maxim as a foundational idea, we would be an entire world thinking together about those implications). That has led me, like many of you, to be focused on non-human animals - the largely neglected group that makes up the vast majority of sentient beings on earth. On this subject I have written the book 'Why We Should Go Vegan' (http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00IHPBCOS/) and the title pretty much says what that book is about. I have also written the book 'Why "Happy Meat" Is Always Wrong' (https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/435640) that attacks the notion that it is okay to kill animals as long as they have lived good lives -- the apparently utilitarian idea that is anything but; indeed, this idea is nothing but the golden rationalization that keeps our entire horrible practice of factory farming and animal abuse going. As I argue in the book, as long as we have this idea, we will inevitably have factory farms and we will treat animals anything but well. I have also written the book 'A Copernican Revolution in Ethics' (https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/451958) in which I argue for the ethical relevance of non-human animals, and the basic implications of taking their relevance seriously, perhaps most important: that we take wildlife suffering seriously, which most vegans also fail to take seriously. Nonetheless, as I argue, the importance of wildlife suffering only underscores the importance of veganism, since we will not take wildlife suffering seriously until we stop abusing them ourselves. That is the enormous importance of veganism: not only will it mean the end of the horrors we impose upon billions of non-humans every day, but it is also the first step toward this, in terms of numbers, much bigger problem of wildlife suffering.
Hopefully that gives a bit of a sense of what I do and the ideas I have. I am looking forward to be able to partake in your discussions.
I'm a new member of your forum, thanks to Brian Tomasik (thank you, Brian), so here's a bit about me:
My name is Magnus Vinding. What I do is that I write books, which I do because I believe it is one of the best ways to have a positive impact in the world -- it is the best one I can see, at least. "Our ideas matter immensely, so I try to spread good ones." That pretty much explains what I try to do and why.
What ideas do I try to spread, then? I think the idea that we should maximize our collective well-being -- the idea that appears to lie at the core of this forum -- is perhaps the most important one of all to spread. If we had a culture animated by that idea, and an entire society that lived accordingly with great dedication, we would be having a much better world. So I try to spread that idea in the hope of moving us closer toward that state. That is what I try to do in my book 'Moral Truths: The Foundation of Ethics' (https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/489831) wherein I defend it as morally true. And spreading this idea is basically what try to do in my latest book too: 'The Meaning of Life: An Examination of Purpose' (https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/504618).
I also try to figure out some of the basic implications of that general maxim and try to convey those (and that is also one of the main points of spreading that maxim: if we all had that maxim as a foundational idea, we would be an entire world thinking together about those implications). That has led me, like many of you, to be focused on non-human animals - the largely neglected group that makes up the vast majority of sentient beings on earth. On this subject I have written the book 'Why We Should Go Vegan' (http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00IHPBCOS/) and the title pretty much says what that book is about. I have also written the book 'Why "Happy Meat" Is Always Wrong' (https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/435640) that attacks the notion that it is okay to kill animals as long as they have lived good lives -- the apparently utilitarian idea that is anything but; indeed, this idea is nothing but the golden rationalization that keeps our entire horrible practice of factory farming and animal abuse going. As I argue in the book, as long as we have this idea, we will inevitably have factory farms and we will treat animals anything but well. I have also written the book 'A Copernican Revolution in Ethics' (https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/451958) in which I argue for the ethical relevance of non-human animals, and the basic implications of taking their relevance seriously, perhaps most important: that we take wildlife suffering seriously, which most vegans also fail to take seriously. Nonetheless, as I argue, the importance of wildlife suffering only underscores the importance of veganism, since we will not take wildlife suffering seriously until we stop abusing them ourselves. That is the enormous importance of veganism: not only will it mean the end of the horrors we impose upon billions of non-humans every day, but it is also the first step toward this, in terms of numbers, much bigger problem of wildlife suffering.
Hopefully that gives a bit of a sense of what I do and the ideas I have. I am looking forward to be able to partake in your discussions.
It has also sold just short of 200 paperbacks, which is also quite cool, especially in light of the fact that it is free.
...)
, but I think it is worth knowing and sharing these things, as it is relevant stuff to know in order to best reach people and have the greatest impact. 