Ethics of Nudging Meat Consumption

Since developing courses in Dublin in 2008 and then in Stirling, a key preoccupation among a group of us has been to ensure programmes in the area of behavioural science and policy have adequate space for reflection on ethics aspects. Along with Leonhard Lades we published a paper condensing a vast literature (summarised here in a previous blogpost) down to seven dimensions using the FORGOOD acronym. We have used this framework for teaching and planning in various ways and it has been picked up quite a bit by various organisations developing their own ethical processes (e.g. see some recent examples on a previous post).

In a recent paper Lades and Nova apply the framework to examining the ethics of nudging meat consumption. A summary is below and gives a sense of how reflecting on these dimensions can enhance the discussion of interventions in these areas. The abstract is below.

The paper sets up the fascinating topic of changing meat consumption in general populations setting out the main motivations provided for nudging people toward non-meat alternatives. The paper goes through each of the seven dimensions of the framework and how they might inform discussion of the types of interventions employed in this area. It's clear that the framework doesn't provide definitive answers but instead a framework for deliberation across these dimensions that could inform a range of processes.