French thinkers debate carnivorism in two new books from Fayard

Two books published by Éditions Fayard tackle the ethics of meat-eating: Marcela Iacub's "Confessions d'une mangeuse de viande" and Dominique Lestel's "Apologie du carnivore." Iacub, a jurist, uses legal analysis to expose contradictions in French animal welfare law, citing the 2005 case of Gérard X, who was convicted for sexual acts with his pony under anti-torture laws while practices like bullfighting and foie gras production remain legal. She argues that society hides animal slaughter to maintain moral comfort. Lestel, an anthropologist, defends carnivorism as an acceptance of human animality, contrasting it with vegetarianism which he sees as a denial of nature. Both books challenge humanist assumptions about human-animal boundaries.