History of vegetarianism

Pārśvanātha founded Jain vegetarianism in 9th century BCE, which is widely considered to be the strictest and most comprehensive form of vegetarianism.
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The earliest records of vegetarianism as a concept and practice amongst a significant number of people are from ancient India, especially among the Hindus[1] and Jains.[2] Later records indicate that small groups within the ancient Greek civilizations in southern Italy and Greece also adopted some dietary habits similar to vegetarianism.[3] In both instances, the diet was closely connected with the idea of nonviolence toward animals (called ahimsa in India), and was promoted by religious groups and philosophers.[4]

Following the Christianization of the Roman Empire in late antiquity (4th–6th centuries), vegetarianism nearly disappeared from Europe.[5] Several orders of monks in medieval Europe restricted or banned the consumption of meat for ascetic reasons but none of them abstained from the consumption of fish; these monks were not vegetarians but some were pescetarians.[6] Vegetarianism was to reemerge somewhat in Europe during the Renaissance[7] and became a more widespread practice during the 19th and 20th centuries. The figures for the percentage of the Western world which is vegetarian varies between 0.5% and 4% per Mintel data in September 2006.[8]

  1. ^ Michael Allen Fox (1999). Deep Vegetarianism. Philadelphia: Temple University Press. p. 134. ISBN 978-1-59213-814-2. Hinduism has the most profound connection with a vegetarian way of life and the strongest claim to fostering and supporting it.
  2. ^ Spencer (1993), p. [page needed].
  3. ^ Spencer (1996), pp. 33–68.
  4. ^ Walters, Kerry; Portmess, Lisa (2001). Religious Vegetarianism From Hesiod to the Dalai Lama. Albany, NY: State University of New York. pp. 13–46. ISBN 978-0-7914-4971-4. JSTOR 18255124.
  5. ^ Passmore, John (1975). "The Treatment of Animals". Journal of the History of Ideas. 36 (2): 196–201. doi:10.2307/2708924. JSTOR 2708924. PMID 11610245. S2CID 43847928.
  6. ^ Lutterbach (1999), p. 202.
  7. ^ Spencer (1996), pp. 180–200.
  8. ^ "Attitudes Towards Vegetarianism – UK – September 2006". Mintel Reports. Archived from the original on 2020-06-11. Retrieved 2014-04-17.