DPF at Kiwiblog, and commenters, have been reacting to the work of Dr Marc Wilson of Victoria Uni (and his student/s).

The Dominion today reports on Wilson's latest work into social psychological factors influencing peoples' food preferences. DPF says....

An academic study on meat eating has found that a partial reason why men eat meat is to "express dominance or masculinity".

Silly me. I thought I ate meat simply because I enjoyed the taste. But what would I know.

Well, actually, yes! SILLY YOU! Likewise the commenters on Kiwiblog bemoaning the decline of accademic standards and relevance. I happen to think that Wilson's work in the persuit of knowledge is perfectly legit.

It's not the big and obvious things that shape the world, and not big and obvious things that remain to be discovered. Of course we eat meat to fuel our body and because it tastes great, that's as obvious as a lion's roar! Duh! Revolutionary ideas, such as Einstein's Special Theory of Relitivity come from looking more deeply into the little things. The subtle and commonplace assumptions we make about space and time, for example, when questioned, produced a revolution in physics and gave man the command of nuclear forces that changed the world.

From small things big things one day come. As Nietzsche expressed it, "It is the stillest words which bring the storm. Thoughts that come with doves' footsteps guide the world."

So there's your historical and philosophical defense Dr Wilson, what about a specific one for your work?

Since I'm rather taken with Michael Foucault (philosophy), Thornstein Veblen (economics), and Desmond Morris (anthropology) when it comes to social psychology I don't have any problems thinking about what value Wilson's work might bring. Instead though I'm going to email him this blog item and ask for his own answer to the blogosphere.