Steven Pinker -- How the Mind Works - Hampshire High Italian ...

384 J HOW THE MIND WORKSFrom Aristeas, first century BC: "The dietary laws are ethical in intent,since abstention from the consumption of blood tames man's instinct forviolence by instilling in him a horror of bloodshed. . . . The injunctionagainst the consumption of birds of prey was intended to demonstratethat man should not prey on others."From Isaac ben Moses Arama: "The reason behind all the dietary prohibitionsis not that any harm may be caused to the body, but that these foodsdefile and pollute the soul and blunt the intellectual powers, thus leadingto confused opinions and a lust for perverse and brutish appetites whichlead men to destruction, thus defeating the purpose of creation."From Maimonides: "All the food which the Torah has forbidden us to eathave some bad and damaging effect on the body. . . . The principal reasonwhy the Law forbids swine's flesh is to be found in the circumstancesthat its habits and its food are very dirty and loathsome. . . . The fat of theintestines is forbidden because it fattens and destroys the abdomen andcreates cold and clammy blood. . . . Meat boiled in milk is undoubtedlygross food, and makes a person feel overfull."From Abraham ibn Ezra: "I believe it is a matter of cruelty to cook a kidin its mother's milk."From Nahmanides: "Now the reason for specifying fins and scales is thatfish which have fins and scales get nearer to the surface of the water andare found more generally in freshwater areas. . . . Those without fins andscales usually live in the lower muddy strata which are exceedingly moistand where there is no heat. They breed in musty swamps and eatingthem can be injurious to health."With all due respect to rabbinical wisdom, these arguments can bedemolished by any bright twelve-year-old, and as a former temple SundaySchool teacher I can attest that they regularly are. Many Jewishadults still believe that pork was banned as a public health measure, toprevent trichinosis. But as Harris points out, if that were true the lawwould have been a simple advisory against undercooking pork: "Flesh ofswine thou shalt not eat until the pink has been cooked from it."Harris observes that food taboos often make ecological and economicsense. The Hebrews and the Muslims were desert tribes, and pigs areanimals of the forest. They compete with people for water and nutritiousfoods like nuts, fruits, and vegetables. Kosher animals, in contrast, are