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| author | Kurt Vonn Houwen |
| title | Domesticating Desires: Metaethical Moral Sentimentalism and the Theistic Dietary Ethics of Biblical Judaism |
| abstract | A Metaethics of Dietary Morals: The moral sentimentalist claim that I forward in this metaethical project is that empathy,
for another perceived moral being who suffers because of perceived purposive interpersonal harm (intentionally performed by another moral being), is necessary
to gauge an event morally. This metaethical stance can be graphed onto the ancient Israelites and their dietary system through a deep reading of their texts
that reference their dietary system. Particularly within this system, the ancient Israelites' theistic dietary ethics prescribe the domestication of the desire
for consumptive power over others' nephesh (i.e., their life-essence), while also holding the positive moral imperative to be fertile and flourish, free from
oppressive suffering. This ancient Hebraic theistic dietary ethics has as a primary moral belief that it is holy to take the normative perspective of a suffering
moral patient, and followingly that the moral agent ought to prescriptively seek to alleviate and prevent that suffering through what and how they eat. Therefore,
what and how ancient Israelites consumed ought to minimalize oppressive suffering and allow vital flourishing. Here the moral sentimentalist claim effuses through.
Due to this empathetic perspective taking of other moral beings' suffering, interpersonal harm is thus perceived and the event can be gauged morally.
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| school | The Theological School, Drew University |
| degree | M.A. (2019) |
| advisor | Dr. Morris Davis |
| committee | Primary reader: Dr. Robert Corrington.
Secondary reader: Dr. Danna Fewell |
| full text | KVHouwen.pdf |
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