Meat

A Totemic Meal

Abstract

This article, derived from a dissertation of the Graduate Program in Science and Sustainability, proposes a critical reflection on meat consumption. Considering the work Totem and Taboo, by Sigmund Freud, meat is analyzed here as a symbolic reference linked to human desire, approaching the notion of object a, formulated by Jacques Lacan. In particular, the desire for strength and virility attributed to the mythical father of the primitive horde is discussed. Although beef production is environmentally harmful, its strong symbolic charge seems to protect it and ensure its permanence in the daily diet of the modern subject. The research, of a qualitative and bibliographic nature, seeks to demonstrate how the meanings attributed to meat go beyond its nutritional function, supporting practices that directly impact the environment.