AIBU to worry school topics are overwhelming my son?

Presumably you don't know the child so unsure why you're so convinced he's "just being contrary"?

He's asking completely reasonable questions - why is it OK to eat a cow and not a dog. It's a good question if he thought it up, it's equally good if a teacher asked it first and he thought it was a good question. OP says she has a philosophy degree so she should easily be able to handle this question. And quite frankly should be delighted her son is asking it. She can give the answer she believes in. He might have a good counter-point. That is also good!

'Parroting' is such a lazy argument. Surely all of the kids that are happily eating meat are also 'parroting' behaviour and opinions?

He feels that something isn't alright and wants to discuss that with those closest to him.

@BeWittyZebra speak to him, engage with him, tell him the drawbacks.

Of course you can tell him to wind his neck in.

Seems really sad to me that people are suggesting shutting him down, telling him to stop challenging you because it’s impolite or just go and google it rather than debating at the dinner table. I grew up hashing out all sorts of ethical and political topics at the table with my siblings and parents and I’m sure it was a positive for us all. And this was a family without a strong educational background (I was the first to go to uni) so it’s not some insufferable posh twat thing.

And at that age, it’s harder to see nuance in human decision making. Talk to him about cognitive dissonance. When I ate meat, I KNEW it went against my morals which hold that animals deserve to live and not be mistreated. And yet I did it anyway. I didn’t try and make up contradictory stories about why it’s ok to eat a cow and not a dog though, which is probably what your son finds infuriating.

What on earth? Why?

I went through exactly the same phase as a teenager and so did the majority of my friends. It's very normal. They're asserting their independence and trying to make sense of the world.

This sounds like a totally normal teenage phase to me - I remember being exactly the same for a year or so at a similar (slightly older) age. It really isn't anything to be concerned about IMO.

How terribly mean!

Can you channel his energy into eco related things? If he’s this passionate he probably does feel overwhelmed by the shittiness and scariness of climate change. It is bleak. But I think the important thing for young people coming to terms with the impacts of humans on the environment is not to let them fall into a pit of doom but actually channel it towards something productive.

you sound like highly educated people, so maybe you can teach him skills that he can apply - like help him understand how to make EVs more accessible, and then write to his local MP to ask for policies towards it. You might laugh but a lot of primaries have these sign ons and having a kid who knows that he can and that it is his right to engage with politics and policy that make up our societies is no bad thing!

direct his anger back towards the system, rather than his family, is what I’m trying to say.

What was the comment you made about electric cars?

No he isn't. He's just being contrary. Push it back to him.

Hes just parroting

I think he’s of an age where he’s starting to question and challenge - rather than just assume everything adults tell him is fact. It’s a good thing, it just needs a bit of fine tuning in how he expresses his thoughts, which is to be expected at 11.

I'd encourage him to pay more attention in his philosophy club so he can interrogate the dogma that's being served up in his environmental club.
Where is his ability to hear multiple arguments? To think critically? To use logic? His new opinions are lacking in nuance or understanding of human nature. I get it, he's a kid, but you can push back against it and help him develop these skills in conversations

Who is running the environment club? A teacher? What's their bias and agenda. Certainly talk to the school to make them aware that they're going overboard in this club

Well that would be a bit of a silly answer wouldn't it. How could Google help him there? He's asking why you personally see it differently. There's no "we" - he's a vegetarian.

@Getmeacoffeenow 's answer was better. Explain to him why you (and if you like, others in certain western countries) traditionally see eating dogs as different from eating cows. But don't be upset if he has a good counter-argument. I would be delighted if I met an 11yo who was asking genuinely challenging good questions. Better than just blindly copying others' views isn't it. Surely you don't spend an eyewatering amount of money on education just to make an adult who is incapable of independent thought?

I can't see what's wrong with his comment here - are you just struggling with him developing his own mind? What would your own parents have done if you'd contradicted them?

Well she he goes "that's not backed up by science".... Ask him to show his proofs of his own theories

Like you say "electric cars are better for environment"
He says "that's not backed up by science!*
You say "oh really? Show me your science that shows I'm wrong, I'm interested "

Hell soon pipe down no doubt.

I think this is a really normal thing for kids to go through.

As for the happy to eat a cow but not a dog type questions.... Just get him to find the answers to his own questions.

"excellent question George, do some research and find out why we do that, let us know what you find out!"

This is a good point, it’s a great question and it’s absolutely ok to tell the truth if the truth is that culturally the UK eat farm animals and we have befriended dogs and have a close bond with them.

It’s actually quite a normal phase of the teenage years to be passionate about something. Whether that’s getting into rock music, vegetarianism, marrying Just Bieber etc etc

This - it sounds like he’s at that self righteous pontificating stage.
what does he think of the just stop oil idiots who can only hold their self righteous pontificating beliefs because of mummy and daddy’s wealth?

"He’s also started asking quite challenging questions for example, if we’re happy to eat cows, why wouldn’t we eat our dog, what makes one animal different from another, why do we value some and not others etc."

These are excellent questions and show he's intelligent and thinking for himself. Are you upset at the questions or at the fact you can't think of a good answer?

Pretty harsh thing to say about an 11 year old.

He sounds great. Well done to him for having his own thoughts. Did you expect that for £30k a year they would make you a nice generic boy who could get a job in the city? Isn't it better he's developing strong views and learning how to communicate them? Maybe he'll be a philosopher or an environmental scientist!