I deeply resonate with your distinction and frustration between a welfarist and an abolitionist/deontologist.
I don’t think vegans need to back down from deontology to non-vegans though. I’ve been saying this… If you are firmly in support that pigs should have more space / cows more time with their babies / chickens to be cage-free…..then how the hell would you justify KILLING that creature you just advocated welfare for?
If you give ONE inch of welfare to animals in factory farms, why the hell are you then for killing it? The classic example… if I gave my dog a perfect life for 5 years then killed it on it’s 6th birthday for its meat, would that be okay? NO.
It would only be justified if we NEEDED to eat animals. THEN it would be worth giving them the best life then ending it in the least painful way possible. But obviously we don’t.
Great read! You make some really good points here. I didn't realize there were two types of vegan activists. I'd identify more as a welfarist for sure. Obviously animal liberation is the end goal for us all. But small wins that gradually improve animal welfare are steps in the right direction and I imagine make a big difference for the animals.
I deeply resonate with your distinction and frustration between a welfarist and an abolitionist/deontologist.
I don’t think vegans need to back down from deontology to non-vegans though. I’ve been saying this… If you are firmly in support that pigs should have more space / cows more time with their babies / chickens to be cage-free…..then how the hell would you justify KILLING that creature you just advocated welfare for?
If you give ONE inch of welfare to animals in factory farms, why the hell are you then for killing it? The classic example… if I gave my dog a perfect life for 5 years then killed it on it’s 6th birthday for its meat, would that be okay? NO.
It would only be justified if we NEEDED to eat animals. THEN it would be worth giving them the best life then ending it in the least painful way possible. But obviously we don’t.
Great read! You make some really good points here. I didn't realize there were two types of vegan activists. I'd identify more as a welfarist for sure. Obviously animal liberation is the end goal for us all. But small wins that gradually improve animal welfare are steps in the right direction and I imagine make a big difference for the animals.