When Dr. S. Matthew Liao, a “bioethicist” affiliated with the World Economic Forum (WEF) and the director of the Center for Bioethics at New York University (NYU), floated the idea of deliberately making people allergic to red meat, he created a counterreaction that still reverberates on social media today.
In a 2012 academic paper titled “Human Engineering and Climate Change” (published in Ethics, Policy & the Environment), Liao proposed biomedical modifications to reduce meat consumption, including artificially inducing mild intolerance to red meat (such as via immune system stimulation against bovine proteins). He referenced natural examples, such as lactose intolerance but, at the time, did not specifically mention Lone Star ticks—whose bite can trigger alpha-gal syndrome, which can cause severe allergic reactions to red meat. Years later, however, Liao expanded on this idea in interviews and discussions by citing alpha-gal syndrome. He has framed it as a thought experiment, not a policy endorsement or literal proposal for implementation.
Academic thought experiments, though, can influence policy. We have seen this with gun-control (so-called “smart gun” bans and more) and hunting-related issues (some anti-hunting activists have even gotten onto state wildlife commissions or boards).
The notion that meat eaters could be purposely made allergic to red meat—take that big-game hunters!—clearly does intrigue or amuse a fringe element of the animal-rights movement. Liao might have just been playing to this crowd with this dystopian and very anti-hunting thought experiment; after all, he earned a doctorate in philosophy from the University of Oxford by focusing on philosophical topics, such as whether children have a right to be loved.
Still, it is hard to find trolling (not to the WEF crowd) or sarcasm in this thought experiment. He is not a modern Jonathan Swift, who, in a satirical essay in 1729, ironically suggested that impoverished Irish families sell their children as food to rich English landlords to alleviate poverty and economic hardship.
Liao is instead in a far-Left echo chamber—this one is so audacious it got out and became a lot of memes on social media. So, if you come across it, realize this thought experiment is not new. But also realize that lampooning it is important; after all, sometimes crazy ideas are floated in attempts to normalize them.
As for the actual problem, it is real. The Lone Star Tick’s bite doesn’t induce red-meat allergies in everyone; it is hit or miss, but it can lead to lifelong health complications such as anaphylaxis, restrictions on medications and even issues with vaccines.
