麻豆社

The party conference season confirms many observers in the view that pragmatic moderation can be elbowed aside by hard core ideology in the main political parties. But it's hard to see the climate changing in a hurry. Journalism contributes to this with writers who are wittily withering about their ideological opponents.

In relation to party politics there's nothing new in all this. But in cultural politics I think there HAS been a change. Identity politics can often encourage people to define themselves clearly and to see ambiguity as evasive and muddled.

This trend has recently arrived on my dinner table.

Some months ago my 10 year-old daughter watched a terrible movie about an elephant-sized pig, genetically modified by an evil corporation, and a girl鈥檚 struggle to save it from the slaughterhouse. Moved by the story and CGI cuteness, she became a partial vegetarian, giving up pork but eating some other meat. Conscious of the ethical issues, we were already cutting down on meat a bit as a family, so we were sympathetic to her moral stand. But soon she moved to full vegetarianism and I must admit that while admiring her decision, I was also a bit uneasy. It seemed she had begun to feel that you have to be one thing or the other.

Of course I respect an adult who makes such a choice, but I鈥檓 a bit wary of a child doing so, before they have had a chance to see that taking moral stands has a cost - for example this moral stand is slightly disruptive of something we as a family regard as valuable - eating the same thing together, which on certain occasions is traditionally roast meat.

Why don鈥檛 you just eat meat on weekends, I suggested, and in return I will do the same - we could meet half way. You鈥檇 be saving more animals by making me a vegetarian most days. She declined the offer, explaining that it鈥檚 wrong to kill animals for food, whatever day of the week it is.

An impressive answer and commitment to go with it. But for those of us who struggle to cut down on something when it鈥檚 always on offer, there is an attraction to moderation. Maybe, for people like me, this is the way meat-eating should go - it should become less frequent, more special. That way we can address the ethical issues, and also strengthen the social side of eating.

I think religion has a role in nurturing this sort of moderation. As I see it, Christianity can teach us to hold two things together - the need for a big bold vision of the world transformed - and scepticism about particular moral systems. This doesn鈥檛 really make it a moderate religion, advising everyone to be sensible -its founding texts are full of calls to absolute commitment, absolute faith. But there's also a sense that absolute goodness belongs to God not humans - so we must be realistic about our capacity for self-righteousness, and to be flexible in the pursuit of a better world.

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