The Ethics of Veganism (2024)

FAQs

Is veganism really ethical? ›

Ethical vegans oppose the commercialization and exploitation of animals for human purposes and believe in the inherent worth and rights of all sentient beings. Vegans who care about the environment support a plant-based diet to lessen the environmental impact of animal agriculture.

The Vegan Society defines veganism as “a philosophy and way of living which seeks to exclude—as far as is possible and practicable—all forms of exploitation of, and cruelty to, animals”. Yet, there are those who only follow the diet aspect of veganism, by having a plant-based diet without animal products.

(1) If a practice causes serious harms that are morally unjustified, then that practice is morally wrong. (2) The practice of raising and killing animals for food causes serious harms to animals and some human beings. (3) These harms are morally unjustified.

Additionally, vegans may struggle with feelings of hypocrisy, questioning whether their actions align with their ethical beliefs (Tong & George, 2020). At its core, veganism embodies the principle of doing the least harm possible to sentient beings.

Going vegan is one of the best things you can do to help stop animal cruelty. By refusing to pay for animal products, you reduce the demand for them, which ensures fewer animals are bred to suffer and die on farms and in slaughterhouses.

I don't miss meat. But I do enjoy a good vegan sausage roll because what I'm trying to emulate is the food I grew up enjoying before I made the connection between the living animal and the cooked meat on the plate. Some vegans eat 'fake meat' because it's not meat, but it tastes like the food we used to enjoy!

Raise Your Own Meat

The ultimate way to reduce shipping emissions is to raise your own meat. Doing so also allows you to feed your animals sustainably, such as by allowing them to free range or rotationally graze on pasture. You can raise chickens by letting them free range so they can eat grass and insects.

The bottom line is that vegans don't eat eggs due to the fact that they are animal products.

Today, the UN says meat and dairy (farmed livestock) accounts for 11.2% of manmade greenhouse gas emissions. But, if we all went vegan, scientists believe the world's food-related emissions might drop by 68% within 15 years, limiting global warming.

Core argument for veganism. Animals suffer in the production of animal products, and since we have access to sufficient alternatives that don't require the use of animals to be made, that means products made from animals are unnecessary and the animal suffering is unnecessary.

Is ethical veganism a creed? ›

In Knauff v. Ontario (Natural Resources and Forestry) 2023 HRTO 1729, Adjudicator Karen Dawson found that ethical veganism was not a protected ground under the Ontario Human Rights Code as it was not a Creed.

Veganism is a moral position that opposes exploiting and otherwise harming nonhuman animals. This includes what we do directly, such as hunting or fishing. It also includes what we support as consumers, which affects many more animals.

"Veganism is a philosophy and way of living which seeks to exclude—as far as is possible and practicable—all forms of exploitation of, and cruelty to, animals for food, clothing or any other purpose; and by extension, promotes the development and use of animal-free alternatives for the benefit of animals, humans and ...

Ethical veganism ideology claims that all animals have fundamental rights, the same as humans. Not only eating meat, but clothing or using any other products derived from animals—or even keeping pets—leads to animal suffering and is therefore wrong.

Evidence shows that vegan diets tend to have far lower carbon, water and ecological footprints than those of meat- or fish-eaters. One Italian study found two vegan participants with extremely high eco-impacts, but this turned out to be because they only ate fruit.

Potential Nutrient Deficiencies — A vegan diet may lack certain essential nutrients such as vitamin B12, iron, calcium, omega-3 fatty acids, and protein. It's crucial to carefully plan your diet to ensure you get all necessary nutrients.

Although eating an animal that has died of natural causes could be seen as harmless, if taken subjectively and acknowledged as an equal life rather than just a piece of meat, doing so would not align with our usual morals or beliefs.

Emissions. Food production is responsible for a quarter of all greenhouse gas emissions, mostly from cows burping methane. Methane is such a potent greenhouse gas that a global switch to plant-based diets would cut emissions from food production by 28 per cent – that's the equivalent of India going carbon neutral.