A common criticism we see from non-vegans is that vegans are hypocrites because animals are killed for them as well. One of the reasons for this seems to be that some vegans claim their lifestyle/diet results in no animals being harmed or killed, or that veganism is always the “least harm” option.

Of course neither is true, but does that make vegans hypocrites?

First we need to know, what is a hypocrite. The usual definition is someone who acts in contradiction to their stated views, especially when proclaiming their virtue. However, most definitions also agree that there must an element of deception – people pretend or intend to portray one thing while doing another. In other words, someone who is not committed to the virtue they claim to have and represents themselves disingenuously.

Secondly, we should be sure what veganism is really about. The answer is that veganism is a doctrine of freedom and represents the principle that people should not exploit other animals when we can do that. It is NOT a doctrine of least harm, though minimising animal harm and suffering can often be a consequence of vegan ethics. Vegans, like anyone else, can apply the principle of least harm – a genuine ethical principle – but it’s not an overt part of vegan principles.

So the question is, are vegans pretending to hold some moral belief but not acting accordingly? The answer is – for any genuine vegan – no. Vegans truly believe that the guiding principles of veganism represent the best tool we have for tackling animal injustice and mitigating the scale of harm and suffering to animals from human choices.

And they are backed in that belief by the fact that their choices align with those principles AND more often than not lead to genuinely lesser animal injustice and harm.

Overall, a vegan lifestyle will do much more to deliver these outcomes than does the average consumer. In other words, if how animals are treated and the harming of animals for our benefit matters to anyone, they can be reassurred that vegans are making the effort to do more than most.

Vegans are not hypocrites. They are out there walking their talk.

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Don’t forget, no-one needs to be a vegan to adopt and apply vegan ethical principles in their daily lives to make a positive difference for other animals. 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:

Click here to access: Animals Matter – Veganism for Everyone (pdf, 466kb)