Vegetarianism is a traditional ethical stance and practice that has been influenced around the turn of the twenty-first century by science and technology. Strictly speaking, vegetarianism is a way of life in which one abstains from eating meat including fowl and fish. The vegan (pronounced "veegan") diet excludes all animal products, including eggs and milk. Lacto-vegetarians include milk products in their diet, and lacto-ovo-vegetarians, both milk and eggs. In the techno-scientific culture, a vegetarian diet may also be conscientious in other ways, such as by taking into account agricultural and food production methods, transportation distances, and the fairness of trade.

History of Vegetarianism

The history of vegetarianism began around the same time in the Mediterranean area and India. In Greece, Pythagoras (circa 569–475 B.C.E.) and his group were the first known to profess vegetarianism programmatically. Later the philosophers Epicurus, Plutarch, and some Neoplatonists recommended a diet without...