Carnism as an invisible ideology: We do (not) have a choice.

This thesis deals with the concept of carnism. Carnism is an invisible ideology that allows people to eat only some animals that are artificially presented to them as edible (the remaining are not edible), and that helps them overcome the unpleasant feelings caused by the consumption of these animals in order to secure its place in society. Author of this paper first examines the historical and socio-cultural context of evolution of the perception of meat in society and reveals predominantly cultural and religious influences on the clasification of animals as edible and non-edible. In the next chapter she explains character of carnism, of which main features are universality, use of violence and invisibility. Author finds that by using these and other defensive mechanisms, carnism, as a dominant ideology, replaces values with its own. Finally, author addresses the risks that carnism may cause and analyzes solutions that could improve the situation in the society. Key words: carnism, meat, edible and non-edible animals, cognitive disonance, defense mechanisms, ideology, veganism, societ