What happens when a lifelong meat-eater and a vegan activist decide to write a book together? In this talk, Martin Smedjeback shares the story behind the upcoming book "Eating Meat" (working title), written with agricultural journalist Torbjörn Esping. The project brings two very different worldviews into direct conversation: one rooted in tradition, farming culture, and a belief that ethical meat is possible; the other grounded in animal rights, civil disobedience, and a conviction that killing animals can never be morally justified.

The presentation explores the process of co-writing across a deep ethical divide: visiting farms and slaughterhouses together, discussing welfare standards, examining cultural norms around meat, and engaging with farmers, philosophers, and researchers. Martin also reflects on what it means to portray activism, resistance, and empathy honestly – without caricatures or shortcuts. This is a talk about dialogue, disagreement, and the challenge of asking the hardest question of all: Is it possible to eat meat with a good conscience? And what happens when two people who completely disagree try to find out together?