You are in good company. Many intellectuals and great leaders of the past did not eat meat and have been labeled as vegetarians. As soon as you start looking at the vegetarians in history (remember vegan is a relatively new word) you quickly discover that a lot of very intelligent people from days gone by were vegetarian (and by today’s standards would most likely be vegan).
The first philosopher in the West to create a lasting vegetarian legacy was the Greek teacher Pythagoras. Born on Samos in 580 BC, he studied in what are now the countries of Greece, Egypt, and Iraq before establishing his school in southern Italy at the city of Croton. Pythagoras is famous for his contributions to math, music, science, and philosophy. He taught that all animals, not just humans, had souls, which were immortal and reincarnated after death. Since a human might become an animal at death, and an animal might become a human, Pythagoras believed that killing and eating non-human animals sullied the soul and prevented union with a higher form of reality. Additionally, he felt that eating meat was unhealthy and made humans wage war against one another. For these reasons, he abstained from meat and encouraged others to do likewise, perhaps making him one of the earliest campaigners for ethical vegetarianism.
The Greek philosopher Plato (428-348 BC) was influenced by Pythagorean concepts but did not go as far as Pythagoras did. It is unclear exactly what his diet consisted of, but Plato’s teachings asserted only humans had immortal souls and that the universe was for human use. Yet, in The Republic, Plato’s character Socrates asserted that the ideal city was a vegetarian city on the grounds that meat was a luxury leading to decadence and war. Thus, to Plato, abstention from flesh is warranted out of a desire for peace and an avoidance of indulgent, excessive living.
The Greek philosopher Plotinus (205-270 AD) combined Pythagoreanism, Platonism, and Stoicism into a school of philosophy called Neoplatonism. He taught that all animals feel pain and pleasure, not just humans. According to Jon Gregerson, author of Vegetarianism: A History, Plotinus believed in order for humans to unite with the Supreme Reality, humans had to treat all animals with compassion. Seeking to practice what he preached, Plotinus avoided medicine made from animals. He allowed for the wearing of wool and the use of animals for farm labor, but he mandated humane treatment.
Remembering that farming in those days was very low intensity compared to nowadays, it is interesting to see this stance was already being taken nearly two thousand years ago by intelligent people of the day.
Moving closer to present times Leonardo da Vinci, George Bernard Shaw, Shelley, Issac Newton, Nikola Tesla, and Albert Einstein were all outspoken vegetarians of their day.
This is not intended to be a complete list of famous intelligent vegetarians from history. It is simply intended to remind us that we are in good company.
