John Robbins is a well-know figure in the area of animal rights and vegetarian/vegan eating. He recently joined another well-known group a someone who lost his savings to the schemes of Bernie Madoff.
In the wake of his personal disaster, Robbins has written, The New Good Life: Living Better Than Ever in an Age of Less.
Robbins suggests, quoting Thoreau, “a man is rich in proportion to the number of things he can do without” (6). As usual, Robbins does an exemplary job of showing how one can live better with less money, less things, limited car use, a vegetarian lifestyle, and safe cleaning products.
However, in arguing for simplicity and sustainability, Robbins steps into stereotypes: “To the Puritans, of course, life was grim, and temptation to sin was lurking everywhere” (15). Anyone who has read a puritan knows that this stereotype is not true, and someone of Robbins caliber ought to know better than to use such flimsy examples.
Also, he argues against having children, or at least minimizing the number one has (chapter seven). Throughout the Bible, we are told that children are a blessing. That does not mean that having children is inexpensive. Yet, the value of family outweighs the negatives.
Robbins has much good and important to say, but one ought to read him carefully, not swallowing every camel amidst the honey.
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