[mazikeen]

<a href="http://www.gse.harvard.edu/news_events/features/2006/08/08_hussar.html" target="_blank">'Why Do Young Children Choose to Become Vegetarians?'</a><br><br>
Found this article to be quite interesting. Would be nice to see a more large-scale study in the next years.

 

[Tesseract]

The link didn't work. Try <a href="http://www.gse.harvard.edu/news_events/features/2006/08/08_hussar.html" target="_blank">this</a> one.

 

[mazikeen]

Thanks Tess. I fixed the link on my OP too.

 

[Tesseract]

Anyway, examining children's decisions to go veg to learn more about how children form moral beliefs is an interesting topic for a study.

 

[froggythefrog]

This is cool. I would love to see more of this study in coming years.

 

[Seb_0810]

That is very interesting. It is great to hear that many children go vegetarian for moral reasons.

 

[Tesseract]

I think it's reassuring in a way to realize that young children are capable of making moral decisions that are independent of, and even go against, the most influential people in their lives. If that's true, it gives me hope that human beings have an inherent ability to figure out some basic principles of right and wrong, and aren't completely products of their upbringing.

 

[gaya]

interesting article, thanks for posting it mazikeen.

 

[bethann]

Interesting study--it will be interesting to see more on this subject.<br><br><br><br>
Two kids, 6 and 3, in my Meeting (church) just decided to become vegetarian--I think it's fascinating that they have made what they talk about as a moral choice at their ages. Thankfully, their mom is very supportive of their decision.

 

[IamJen]

Very interesting.<br><br><br><br>
While the article says
<div class="quote-container"><span>Quote:</span>
<div class="quote-block">Many nonvegetarian children can recognize the moral value of not eating meat, yet do not make the choice to become vegetarian.</div>
</div>
<br>
, it also notes
<div class="quote-container"><span>Quote:</span>
<div class="quote-block">Even more interesting for Hussar was the discovery that all of the vegetarian children disclosed moral reasons to not eat meat, such as “I don’t like the idea of killing animals,” or “I love animals and I didn’t want to eat them…I just wanted to be nice.” The nonvegetarian children [in the study] didn’t acknowledge morals at all.</div>
</div>
<br>
So maybe the children that choose to eat meat aren't making that connection between animals and meat yet. Hm.

 

[Vegnik]

<a href="http://www.gse.harvard.edu/news_events/features/2006/08/08_hussar.html" target="_blank">http://www.gse.harvard.edu/news_even...08_hussar.html</a><br><br><br><br>
Why Do Young Children Choose to Become Vegetarians?<br><br>
by Jill Anderson<br><br>
August 8, 2006<br><br><br><br>
Alejandra Tumble, 10, doesn't eat meat and really doesn't like ham. But,<br><br>
her reasons for not eating meat might surprise you. Alejandra talks at<br><br>
length about her choice not to eat meat, and how strange it seems to her<br><br>
that a pig can be processed into a thin slice of pink meat. She thinks<br><br>
it's wrong-not for everyone, but at least for her.<br><br><br><br>
HGSE Doctoral Student Karen Hussar's research examines children aged<br><br>
6-10 who have become vegetarians. As with Alejandra, for most children<br><br>
Hussar studied, the decision has more to do with morals than with<br><br>
personal choice. This is contrary to the theories of famed psychologists<br><br>
Lawrence Kohlberg and Jean Piaget-both pioneers in moral<br><br>
development-that children aren't capable of making independent moral<br><br>
decisions at this age. ...<br><br><br><br><a href="http://www.gse.harvard.edu/news_events/features/2006/08/08_hussar.html" target="_blank">http://www.gse.harvard.edu/news_even...08_hussar.html</a>

 

[Amy SF]

That's interesting. Thanks for posting that.

 

[That Alpaca Guy]

Fascinating. Her future studies look like they will be interesting as well.

 

[gas4]

I think it's really good that vegetarianism is being studied, not in itself, but as part of the study of children's moral development. It isn't being paraded as unusual, and the study is very clear about which way a moral decision on eating meat should go. I'm still meeting people who say that the fact I'm veg is just weird, they've never met any other vegetarians and they can't believe I don't eat meat. I hope lots of people hear all about this study.