From the time he wrote Discourse on the Origin of Inequality, Jean-Jacques Rousseau held in high regard what he considered to be the natural diet of the human species: vegetarianism. This oft-overlooked interest of his coincides with his desire to look at man’s physiology for evidence of his innate goodness. For man to be naturally good, he must have a vegetarian disposition and a digestive system comparable to that of peaceful, fruit-eating animals. Otherwise we would be carnivores, thereby rendering us evil and deaf to the suffering of sentient beings. This type of reflection is increasingly echoed in contemporary debates about our relationship with animals.