A fair point. I have tried putting this in friendlier terms at times, but my perception is that most people who hold the reductionist view want fatness to be a

A fair point. I have tried putting this in friendlier terms at times, but my perception is that most people who hold the reductionist view want fatness to be a morality tale where bad things happen to people who deserved it. That notion offends me, and it seems far-fetched since this is happening in animals, too. That or someone is generalizing from their n of one anecdote to all people. Even worse, I feel like this platitude is used as an excuse to stop thinking. The least interesting part of this whole thing is the thermodynamics--to the point of being so uninteresting that I can't believe it gets talked about. How about why are people eating more? Do some foods satiate hunger better? Why is the problem accelerating over time? What is causing animals to weigh more--has their willpower diminished? A calorie is a calorie misses the point so thoroughly it infuriates me. Apologies for the tone.