A Historical Journey Through Vegetarian Thought and Practice: Perspectives Across Time and Cultures

This collection offers a chronological exploration of individuals and movements that have shaped vegetarian thought and practice throughout history. Far from being mere lists of notable names, these articles delve into the beliefs and philosophies of those who engaged with the vegetarian ethos, examining whether and how they incorporated these views into their lives.

The diet of early humans
- the views of naturalists, archaeologists and others

Ancient Greece and Rome (800 BCE - 325CE)
- Hesiod, Pythagoras, Socrates, Plato, Diogenes, Epicurus, Ovid, Seneca, Plutarch, Plotinus, Porphyry, Iamblichus

Ancient India and The East (800 BCE - 232BCE)
- Hinduism, Jainism, Zoroaster, Buddhism and more

Jesus and the early Christians
- The Essenes, Clement of Alexandria and more

Europe: The Middle Ages to the 17th Century
- Monasteries, St.Francis of Assisi, Leonardo Da Vinci and many more

Europe: 18th Century
Newton, Cheyne. Swedenborg, Wesley, Rousseau, Bentham and more

North America: 18th Century
Franklin, Payne, Jefferson, Johnny Appleseed and more

England: Early 19th Century
- Percy Bysshe Shelley, Bible Christian Church, many more

Europe: Late 19th Century
- Leo Tolstoy, Anna Kingsford, Annie Besant, the formation of the Vegetarian Society UK, and more

USA: 19th Century
- Sylvester Graham, Henry David Thoreau

Asia and Pacific up to 1900
- Australia, China, India, Japan, New Zealand, Sri Lanka

Europe: Early 20th Century
- George Bernard Shaw, Albert Schweitzer, Hitler and much more

North America: early 20th Century
- Thomas Edison, Albert Einstein, Benjamin Spock and more

Europe: late 20th Century
- Yehudi Mehuin, Linda McCartney, Poland, Oxford Vegetarians many more

North America: late 20th Century
- Toronto Vegetarian Association and more

Africa: 20th Century

Asia-Pacific: 20th Century

Latin America: 20th Century

India/South Asia: 20th Century

SW Asia (Middle East): 20th Century

Quotations and Poetry, mostly by Historical Characters


Compiled by John Davis