Towards Freedom

In Philostratus' Life of Apollonius, we have perhaps the clearest historical account of an ancient vegan in the character of Apollonius of Tyana. This article will explore Apollonius's views on veganism and animal righton, their relation to the philosophical life of the ancients and will chronicle some of the experiences Apollonius faced in regards to his veganism. Part 1 Part 2 Part 1 Apollonius, it was said, had decided early in life to undertake what he referred to as the "life of Pythagoras", a life devoted to philosophy - chiefly to the attainment and practice of true wisdom.

As a continuation of our series on ancient vegans, we'll attempt here to take into consideration Porphyry's essay On Abstinence from Animal Food, written in the third century CE, and translated into English by Thomas Taylor in 1823. A full pdf of the essay is provided here. Porphyry (234-305 CE), the student of Plotinus, and elder contemporary of Iamblichus, plays a central role in the Neoplatonism of the early centuries CE.

Orpheus charming wild animals with his music To Health O Much-desir'd, prolific, gen'ral queen, Hear me, life-bearing, Health, of beauteous mien, Mother of all; by thee diseases dire, Of bliss destructive, from our life retire; And ev'ry house is flourishing and fair, If with rejoicing aspect thou art there: Each daedal art, thy vig'rous force inspires, And all the world thy helping hand desires; Pluto life's bane alone resists thy will, And ever hates thy all-preserving skill.

In regards to the "nobody's vegan" idea, I'll attempt to demonstrate why it is flawed in its essence. The "nobody's vegan" idea stems from the delusion that there is ever an absolute manifestation of anything within a universe constructed on a foundation of relativity combined with the delusion that it is those absolute's we are talking about when we identify something with a label. No absolute ideal is ever fully, 100%, completely manifest.