Millions of Americans see themselves as "conflicted omnivores," worrying about the ethical and environmental implications of their choice to eat animals. Yet their attempts to justify their choices only obscure the truth of the matter: in John Sanbonmatsu’s view, killing and eating animals is unethical, regardless of whether they are "free range" or factory farmed. Shattering the conventional wisdom around the meat economy, he reframes the question of animal agriculture from one of "sustainability" to one of existential and moral purpose, presenting a powerful case for the total abolition of the animal economy. In a rejoinder to Michael Pollan and other critics who have told us that we can have our meat and our consciences, too, he shows why "humane meat" is always a contradiction in terms.

The Omnivore’s Deception provides a deeply observed philosophical meditation on the nature of our relationship with animals. Peeling back the myriad layers of myth, falsehoods, and bad faith that keep us eating meat, the book offers a novel perspective on our troubled relations with animals in the food economy.

A tour de force of moral philosophy and cultural critique, The Omnivore's Deception will change the way we think about meat, animals, and human purpose.

The book is published by New York University Press. The audiobook is published by University Press Audiobooks.

"This is perhaps the single best book ever written about animal suffering..." (Jeffrey Moussaief Masson, author of When Elephants Weep)

"The rare work that engages our sympathies and our intellect in equal measure. A dazzling achievement." (Carol Adams, author of The Sexual Politics of Meat)

"A new masterpiece in the venerable tradition of animal ethics. This book should be read by everyone..." (Troy Vettese, co-author of Half-Earth Socialism)