Coastal Carolina University professor Renee Smith will lead a discussion titled "Loving What We Eat: A Case for [Not] Eating Meat" on Tuesday, Oct. 24 at 6 p.m. at The Living Room Coffee Bar and Used Books at 38th Avenue North in Myrtle Beach in the Bi-Lo shopping center. The event is free and open to the public.

The event is a variation of the university's "Tea & Ethics" series. The Coffee & Ethics series, given by Coastal professors, is held off campus and is more casual and interactive than the Tea & Ethics presentations.

Most people make food choices by considering how something tastes, how much it costs, how convenient it is and, perhaps, how it will affect their health. This event will focus on the question: are our food choices morally good? While there are a number of factors that might make some food choices immoral, this discussion will focus on the ethical implications of eating animals. Can one be a good person and still eat bacon cheeseburgers?

Smith is an assistant professor of philosophy at Coastal. She earned a bachelor's degree in philosophy from California State University at Sacramento, and master's and doctorate degrees in philosophy from the University of Colorado at Boulder. Smith is also the director of the Summer Ethics Academy, a summer program held on Coastal's campus for area sixth-graders.

The discussion is sponsored by Coastal's Jackson Family Center for Ethics and Values. The purpose of the center is to cultivate and promote awareness in the community of the importance of personal and professional integrity. The center sponsors scholarships and visiting scholars as well as public discussion forums on ethical issues in science, business, education, and the arts and humanities. For more information, contact the director of the center, Claudia McCollough, at 349-2440.