From darkness to lightness: an exploration of adopting veganism as philosophical leisure and enlightenment

This autoethnographic study explores the transformative potential of philosophical leisure through a month-long personal experiment in adopting a vegan diet. Drawing on the first author’s personal reflections, the study examines how lifestyle change, when approached as a form of radical leisure, can prompt ethical self-inquiry, challenge normative cultural practices, and cultivate autonomy. Framed by philosophical perspectives on enlightenment, agency and moral freedom, the research investigates whether veganism constitutes a meaningful ethical practice or a performative stance within dominant societal structures. This study critically reflects on the tensions between tradition and transformation, brave thinking and current ethics. By reordering the paper to begin with method and auth-ethnographic reflections before reviewing literature, the authors hold the grounded theory ethos of entering the field without preconception. Ultimately, the paper argues that confronting ingrained habits through lifestyle experimentation can serve as a form of philosophical and ethical awakening, inviting broader reflection on values of leisure, the fluidity of self, and the possibilities of living otherwise.