Powerarchy

Harvard-educated psychologist and bestselling author Melanie Joy exposes the psychology that underlies all forms of oppression and abuse and the belief system that gives rise to this psychology—which she calls powerarchy. Melanie Joy had long been curious as to why people who were opposed to one or more forms of oppression—such as racism, sexism, speciesism, and so forth—often stayed mired in many others. She also wondered why people who were working toward social justice sometimes engaged in interpersonal dynamics that were unjust. Or why people who valued freedom and democracy might nevertheless vote and act against these values. Where was the disconnect? In this thought-provoking analysis, Joy explains how we've all been deeply conditioned by the invisible system of powerarchy to believe in a hierarchy of moral worth—to view some individuals and groups as either more or less worthy of moral consideration—and to treat them accordingly. Powerarchy conditions us to engage in power dynamics that violate integrity and harm dignity, and it creates unjust power imbalances among social groups and between individuals. Joy describes how powerarchies—both social and interpersonal—perpetuate themselves through cognitive distortions, such as denial and justification; narratives that reinforce the belief in a hierarchy of moral worth; and privileges that are granted to some and not others. She also provides tools for transformation. By illuminating powerarchy and the psychology it creates, Joy helps us to work more fully toward transformation for ourselves, others, and our world.

“An absorbing examination of why humans feel affection and compassion for certain animals but are callous to the suffering of others.” —Publishers Weekly Why We Love Dogs, Eat Pigs, and Wear Cows offers an absorbing look at what social psychologist Melanie Joy calls carnism, the belief system that conditions us to eat certain animals when we would never dream of eating others. Carnism causes extensive animal suffering and global injustice, and it drives us to act against our own interests and the interests of others without fully realizing what we are doing. Becoming aware of what carnism is and how it functions is vital to personal empowerment and social transformation, as it enables us to make our food choices more freely—because without awareness, there is no free choice. “An important and groundbreaking contribution to the struggle for the welfare of animals.” —Yuval Harari, New York Times–bestselling author “An exposé of the ideas, prejudices, and numbing of men and women who block out the unsavory details of what is involved in the creation and consumption of animal-based foods.” —Spirituality & Practice “With eloquence and humility, Melanie Joy appeals to the values that all of us already have and have always had. She reminds us of who we are.” —Jonathan Safran Foer, New York Times–bestselling author “Melanie Joy examines the psychological props that make it possible for us to adore some animals and eat others—and kicks them all aside.” —Peter Singer, professor of bioethics at Princeton University and author of Animal Liberation Now

The award-winning author helps you build relational literacy by giving you the principles and tools to understand and practice healthy ways of relating. Relationships are complicated. Yet it’s an unfortunate reality that while most of us have to learn complex geometry that we’ll probably never use, we don’t get a single formal lesson in how to relate to others. In this comprehensive guidebook, Joy reveals the common psychological dynamics that underlie all kinds of relationships: with a romantic partner, friends, family members, colleagues—in short, with anyone in any situation. Understanding these dynamics can enable you to make all your relationships healthier and more resilient, and help you contribute to creating a better world. Drawing on the most relevant research as well as on her own extensive experience as a psychologist, Joy explains how to strengthen your “relational immune system” to resist not only interpersonal stressors but also largely invisible yet potentially devastating societal stressors like racism and sexism. With this understanding, you can cultivate relationships that consistently reflect core moral values and honor the dignity of everyone involved. Resilient relationships are a source of joy and fulfillment for those who are in them—and they also support the thriving of the organizations and communities of which we all are a part. “A wise, practical, and well-researched template for creating healthy relationships of any kind . . . I recommend this book to anyone wishing to expand their social-emotional intelligence!” —Susan Campbell, PhD, author of Five-Minute Relationship Repair

The North American Wildlife Conservation Model (NAM) is the driver of a strong anthropocentric stance, which has legalized an ongoing, annual exploitation of hundreds of millions of wild animals, who are killed in the United States through trapping, hunting and other lethal practices. Increasingly, the American public opposes the killing of wild animals for recreation, trophies and profit but has little—if any—knowledge of the Model. The purpose of this book is to empower the public with knowledge about the NAM’s insufficiencies and to help expedite the shift from lethal to compassionate conservation, an endeavour urgently needed particularly under the threats of climate change, human population growth and accelerating plant and animal species extinctions. With a focus on trapping, this book exposes the NAM's belief in human supremacy and its consequences for wild animals and their ecosystems, the same value that is driving the ongoing global destruction of nature and accelerating species extinction. Motivated by a deep concern for wild animals who suffer and whose lives are extinguished each year by 'sportsmen and women', this book exposes the violent treatment of wild animals inherent in governmental-promoted hunting and trapping programs, while emphasizing the importance of empathy and compassion for other animals in conservation and in our lives.

"In The Vegan Matrix, psychologist, longtime vegan advocate, and organizational head Dr. Melanie Joy explores a serious problem in the vegan movement: unexamined privilege. She also examines the struggle to talk effectively about this problem in a way that helps offset it. Using simple, straightforward language and a compassionate tone, Joy explains what privilege is, why it's so important for vegans to become aware of it, and how to talk about it in a way that deepens understanding and helps transform it. In so doing, Joy unpacks some of the many privileges that must be acknowledged and addressed, and calls for more inclusivity and diversity within vegan organizations and the movement as a whole. The Vegan Matrix is a call to awareness and action, empowering vegans to reach a broader audience and to help create a more compassionate and just world"--

The politics of racism have returned with a vengeance in the wake of widespread outrage over racial violence, yet nothing about the idea of racism is the same because everything has changed in how we see, think, and talk about it.

The objective of the multi-volume book Developments in Managing and Exploiting Risk is to offer a balanced view to enable the reader to better appreciate risk as a counterpart to reward, and to understand how to holistically manage both elements of this duality. Crises can challenge any organization, and with a seemingly endless stream of disruptive and even catastrophic events taking place, there is an increasing emphasis on preparing for the worst. However, being focused on the negative aspects of risk, without giving consideration to the positive attributes, may be shortsighted. Playing it safe may not always be the best policy, because great benefits may be missed. Analyzing risk is difficult, in part because it often entails events that have never occurred. Organizations, being mindful of undesirable potential events, are often keenly averse to risk to the detriment of capitalizing on its potential opportunities. Risk is usually perceived as a negative or downside but a commensurate weight should also be given to the potential rewards or upside, when evaluating new ventures. Even so, too much of a good thing may create unintended consequences of positive risk, which is also an undesirable situation. Developments in Managing and Exploiting Risk provides a professional and scholarly venue in the critical field of risk in business with particular emphasis on decision-making using a comprehensive and inclusive approach.