Over the last few years the recurring theme of almost every speech by vegan activists has centred itself around, or at the very least mentioned, the idea that “activism is the moral baseline”. The argument makes the claim that the refusal to participate in immoral actions is not enough, that the only actions to be deemed moral are those that actively attempt to physically stop the action taking place. This can be seen in the “beating of the dog” analogy, […]
It usually surprises people when they find out I’m vegan and that I also believe humans are omnivores. Normally we’d think about these two beliefs in an opposite spectrum. After all, how can I go against my “natural” desire to eat animal products. How can I deprive myself of essential nutrients in meat. Omnivores need meat to survive, right? This surprise often comes from a misconception about the human diet. Are we omnivores? First we must establish if we’re omnivores or […]
Every day, we choose what to do with our lives. We choose what to wear, where to go, and what to eat. Given that most of the actions we decide to partake in are completely under our control, we assume they all must be personal choices. Most of them are, for sure. However, in the globalised world we live in, it is virtually impossible to do something without affecting others. So, what about meat? Can we really say that when we choose […]
Evolution is awesome. But some of the things that happened during evolution weren’t that awesome. A common counter-argument to veganism is that our ancestors ate meat, and therefore it is natural for us to do the same. Of course, most of this is true. But the logical conclusion that follows isn’t that we should eat meat. In fact, many of the things our ancestors did in nature were brutal and unethical. We’ve been eating meat for thousands of years Our ancestors […]
We’ve all heard the statistics. About 84% of vegetarians or vegans go back to eating meat at some point in their lives. Or at least that’s what most online blogs I’ve read say. I tried finding the original study, but all the links I found were broken. But let’s roll with that number for the sake of argument. Even though veganism is growing rapidly, and according to my calculations the U.K. will be fully vegan in 38 years, this is a […]
Someone recently commented on one of my YouTube videos saying that vegan diets were inherently less healthy than a diet that includes animal products. This isn’t true. While there are legitimate concerns regarding vegan nutrient deficiencies, they can be easily addressed by eating a balanced plant-based diet and supplementing where needed. The comment Here’s some facts about vegan diet health issues. EPA and DHA long chain omega-3 fats, can only be found in fish, unless you want to eat buckets […]
Infant lambs, kids and piglets can be humanely killed by delivering a heavy blow to the head. –Humane Slaughter Association Why do we need to go vegan if we have the best animal welfare laws in the world? The belief that the current legal framework surrounding farmed animals is enough to spare them from suffering is fundamentally flawed, but unfortunately common. The reality is that even the countries with the best animal welfare laws still allow significant unnecessary harm to […]
Why is it okay to eat plants and not animals? This may seem like a silly question but it’s not. There are hidden complexities and slithers of truth behind the statement that plants feel pain, but more importantly, this question is the fundamental challenge any carnist will have against vegans and it cuts right down to the bones of our philosophy. Why is it okay to eat one form of life but not another? If we can’t give a sufficient answer, […]
A main motivator for those of us that adopt a vegan lifestyle is our environmental concern. Plant-based diets have the lowest carbon footprint of all dietary patterns. But if you’re a vegan environmentalist, what happens when you see meat, dairy or eggs that are about to go to waste? Is it consistent with being vegan to eat meat in this situation? Is it ethical? These are two different questions, because not everything that is vegan is ethical, and vice versa. Veganism […]
It is a common misconception that vegans are animal lovers, which is why they go through extreme lengths to avoid harming animals. By implication, this suggests that if you’re not an animal lover, it is coherent to continue eating animals, since you don’t love them. This isn’t true in the slightest, for two reasons. First of all, being vegan is not hard. Vegans live absolutely normal lives and don’t have to go through terrible ordeals to get their vegetables. Most […]