Going Meatless: Listen to Pat Brown discuss his take on the economics of agriculture.

HHMI: DO YOU ALSO WANT TO CHANGE PEOPLE'S ATTITUDES ABOUT EATING MEAT ON A MORE INDIVIDUAL LEVEL?

POB: I think it's a losing battle to try to convince people they should stop eating meat because it's bad for the environment or harmful to animals. People are aware that many of their behaviors harm the environment and it doesn't motivate them to change much. If I went to someone waiting in line at McDonald's and told them “Don't buy that hamburger because it's the equivalent of driving to San Francisco and back,” they'd say “Get out of my way.” But if the price of a burger goes up from 99 cents to $2.50, that might have some effect. So it makes more sense to try to change the industry and the economics of it, rather than the public.

HHMI: WHEN DID YOU STOP EATING MEAT AND WAS THAT A DIFFICULT TRANSITION?

POB: I gave up meat more than 30 years ago. At the time, it was just a personal ethical decision I made when I faced up to the fact that both the meat and dairy industries were intrinsically inhumane. It was a pretty easy transition: I was a first-year medical student and my diet consisted mainly of donuts, coffee, and whatever I could make in 90 seconds in a microwave (which was usually a quesadilla with carrots) so it wasn't much of a sacrifice. To be honest, though, it would be a lot easier now than it was 30 years ago since there are more options.

When I eat with my omnivore friends, they are almost always surprised to discover that a vegan meal can be as hearty, complex, and delicious as any they've had.

I don't think everyone should be driven by the same motivations that led me to give up meat. My current project is really unrelated—it's solely focused on the global environmental, economic, food security, and public health impact of animal farming. The ethical issues don't enter into it, since that's strictly a personal choice.

HHMI: THIS ISN'T THE FIRST TIME YOU'VE VENTURED INTO A LARGE PROJECT OUTSIDE YOUR RESEARCH AREA. WHAT DRAWS YOU TO DO THESE THINGS?

POB: I believe that everybody has a responsibility to do as much good and as little harm as possible. I love being a scientist because I love solving problems. So a big part of what appeals to me about these side projects is finding problems where I think I can do some good for the world, and they're intellectually challenging and require some not-straightforward thinking to solve. Figuring out open-access publishing or trying to change the livestock industry is just as much a research problem as figuring out how to make a transgenic mouse.

Pat Brown is professor of biochemistry at the Stanford School of Medicine and founding codirector of the Public Library of Science.

Interview by Sarah C.P. Williams.

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