There sure is a lot of confusion about veganism these days, which is a shame. It’s a great idea. So, let’s try to clear up some of that confusion.
Veganism is the name given to a pretty simple idea – that animals matter enough for us to want to be fair to them. As such it’s a moral principle in and of itself – a doctrine, if you like – along with the consequent lifestyle it promotes. We can describe using this idea to guide our choices and actions as “vegan ethics” – we can adopt vegan ethics to help us tackle injustice to other animals.
Vegan ethics helps us achieve three simple goals, whenever we can (or are willing to):
- To keep animals free (ie not treated as chattel property and as objects of production);
- To protect animals from our unfair use; and
- To prevent unnecessary cruelty to animals.
A lot of people confuse vegan ethics with the principle of least harm, but while we can use that principle to make good choices, vegan ethics are not specifically aiming to do that. Vegans aren’t choosing to avoid eating meat so as to cause least harm, they are really choosing not to support systems that treat animals as property and use them unfairly.
You might ask, well… what’s “unfair” mean? In this context, it means using an animal for some purpose when we either don’t have to, or can use an alternative. Vegans choose not to eat meat because farmed animals are chattel property and we have alternatives (ie plants). Similarly, vegans don’t fund the use of animals in entertainment, again because the animals are treated as property and we just don’t need to do this.
Now, none of this means that we can never use/harm/kill/eat animals. It just means that when we can do otherwise, it’s better not to. For example, people who live where food sources are limited can still eat animals. We have to give our own health top priority.
Some people seem to think that vegans can never kill an animal and that it’s hypocritical for vegans to buy plant-sourced foods when wild animals are killed to grow that food. That’s really a misunderstanding. Killing wild animals that threaten agricultural infrastructure is acceptable if alternatives either don’t exist or are not practical – in other words, when it is necessary. In the same way, we can use animals for medical research if that is necessary (though what is “necessary” is very much subject to individual interpretation), we can thin/cull wild populations if that is necessary, and killing disease carrying animals (eg mosquitoes) is acceptable, again when necessary.
Yes, killing wild animals for crop protection is often cruel so we can apply the principle of least harm to make less harmful choices (for example, eat less wheat), however it’s hard for consumers to have much influence over what farmers do.
All vegan ethics are trying to do is guide us to see other animals as important, as mattering enough to want to be fair to them. Of course, anyone who adopts these principles and goes the extra mile can call themselves a vegan, but no-one has to do that. We can all adopt the principles and do what we can (or are willing to do) to make a fairer world for other animals.
It really is that simple. Veganism is probably one of the most effective and easily understood ways to help us be fairer and kinder to other animals. And everyone can do that.
If you’d like to know more, you can read my essay that offers a deeper dive into the meaning and application of vegan ethics at the link below:
Just Us Too 