From darkness to lightness
An exploration of adopting veganism as philosophical leisure and enlightenment
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 19232197 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Haiting Zhu (0000-0002-5840-2251, University of Otago, corresponding author), Neil Carr (0000-0002-9410-4710, University of Otago) |
| Year | 2026 |
| Pages | 1-18 |
| Publication date | 2026-06-08 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Leisure Studies (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0261-4367 • E-ISSN: 1466-4496 |
| Publisher | Informa UK Limited (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.1080/02614367.2026.2686708 |
| OpenAlex | W7163921428 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 33 |
This autoethnographic study explores the transformative potential of philosophical leisure through a month-long personal experiment in adopting a vegan diet. Drawing on the first author’s personal reflections, the study examines how lifestyle change, when approached as a form of radical leisure, can prompt ethical self-inquiry, challenge normative cultural practices, and cultivate autonomy. Framed by philosophical perspectives on enlightenment, agency and moral freedom, the research investigates whether veganism constitutes a meaningful ethical practice or a performative stance within dominant societal structures. This study critically reflects on the tensions between tradition and transformation, brave thinking and current ethics. By reordering the paper to begin with method and auth-ethnographic reflections before reviewing literature, the authors hold the grounded theory ethos of entering the field without preconception. Ultimately, the paper argues that confronting ingrained habits through lifestyle experimentation can serve as a form of philosophical and ethical awakening, inviting broader reflection on values of leisure, the fluidity of self, and the possibilities of living otherwise
Darkness · Enlightenment · Modernity · Environmental Philosophy and Ethics · Geographies of human-animal interactions · Religion, Ecology, and Ethics
The Rise of Critical Animal Studies
Practical Ethics
Social Theory and Religion
Post Qualitative Inquiry, the Refusal of Method, and the Risk of the New
Narrative Turn or Blind Alley
Philosophical Leisure as Recuperative Praxis
Skydiving into the self
Veganism, Identity and the Quest for Authenticity
One size fits all? What counts as quality practice in (reflexive) thematic analysis
Re-thinking the relation between leisure and freedom
All the lonely people’
Leisure in everyday life
Moralistic stereotyping of vegans
If I became a vegan, my family and friends would hate me
Vegetarianism. A blossoming field of study
When vegetarians eat meat
Tensions within and between vegans and vegetarians
The psychology of vegetarianism
The Interconnections of Trauma, Healing, Health, and Leisure
Kant's Rhetoric of Enlightenment
Food, self and identity
A Step-by-Step Process of Thematic Analysis to Develop a Conceptual Model in Qualitative Research
Grounded Theory in Global Perspective
Survival as a Social Construct
Mediating lifestyle movements
| Citation velocity | historical |
|---|---|
| Highly cited | No |