Questions tagged [ethics]
For questions about philosophical or moral reasoning relating to veg*n practices. Try to avoid asking questions that invite primarily opinion-based answers
3
votes
1answer
113 views
Is smoking consistent with vegan principles?
Can you be a vegan and smoke cigarettes?
I ask the question because I saw many people using clothes with vegan logos and making vegan campaign smoking cigarettes. I've seen sites that say cigarettes ...
6
votes
3answers
186 views
Why is keeping backyard hens inconsistent with veganism?
If somebody keeps egg-laying hens in their backyard and makes sure they are loved and well cared-for, what's wrong with taking and eating their eggs from the perspective of veganism? If a person who ...
5
votes
1answer
71 views
Does a live animal tracking system for vegetarian products exist?
I am thinking of a label system on cheese and egg found in supermarkets whereby you can use your phone camera to scan a bar code on those products. It would take you to a live supervision camera ...
2
votes
5answers
182 views
Dealing with natural deaths of animals
Why would a vegetarian refuse to eat an animal that dies of a natural death (such as Kapelin, the suicide fish that throws itself upon the bays of Newfoundland two weeks of a given month of a given ...
6
votes
2answers
121 views
Could wool from sheep living in an animal sanctuary be considered vegan?
As far as I know, some sheep need to be shorn because they were bred to produce more wool.
If such a sheep is rescued from a sheep station by an animal sanctuary,
which is a non-profit organization,...
7
votes
2answers
144 views
Are there any farms that sell “cruelty-free” eggs (i.e. that don't slaughter older hens)?
Eggs maybe considered vegetarian by many since most eggs are unfertilized and do not result in the death of any animals. However, egg farms are usually not cruelty-free since when hens get too old to ...
8
votes
1answer
146 views
Traces of non-vegan ingredients
On many products I often read through and find that all the ingredients are vegan, then there is a disclaimer following which says there may be traces of certain non-vegan items (most commonly egg or ...
10
votes
3answers
240 views
Which pets could be kept by someone who chooses to be vegan for environmental reasons?
Let's assume that someone is not concerned with animal welfare or rights of their pet, and is vegan for purely environmental reasons.
The issue is that buying food for carnivorous animals is ...
18
votes
6answers
670 views
Plants show intelligent behaviour, is this sufficient for moral consideration?
Recent research has revealed that plants are able to communicate, learn, and respond to harm. It has been argued that these behaviours constitute basic intelligence. Robert A. Freitas Jr. has ...
2
votes
0answers
45 views
What books are recommended for the ethics of veg*nism? [closed]
Which books are recommended for the ethics of veganism/vegetarianism?
7
votes
3answers
201 views
How is the presence of consciousness determined in an animal?
Given that animals can't tell us about their experiences, what forms of evidence are used to suggest whether an animal is conscious?
This subject is important, since one argument for adopting ...
7
votes
2answers
211 views
What are the main arguments against non-human animals holding intrinsic value?
The belief that animals hold intrinsic value is an important basis for animal rights.
Wikipedia lists the main positions used as a basis for the intrinsic value of animals as:
behaviouristic, ...
3
votes
1answer
56 views
In what ways do some consider animal rights issues to be connected to feminist issues?
Some vegans consider animal rights issues to be an intersectional social justice issue, and connect speciesism to various other isms.
In what ways does this perspective consider animal rights issues ...
2
votes
1answer
44 views
Is there a way to take medications that come in capsules that may be gelatine?
Reading another answer here I realised that medication capsules are likely made out of gelatine.
Is there an alternative way to take the medication? Might this affect the medication?
I take very ...
4
votes
1answer
86 views
Is using bee's wax OK for vegans?
I am not vegan, but was wondering whether vegans will use bee's wax.
My guess is that, given most won't eat honey, the answer is no but the method of collecting wax can be different, for example it ...
-1
votes
1answer
86 views
Besides animal suffering and caring for the environment, what common ethical reasons are there for veganism? [closed]
Many vegans follow this lifestyle "for ethical reasons". These reasons are usually related to avoiding animal suffering and exploitation. Moreover, some vegans might see the concern for the ...
13
votes
1answer
85 views
Is there an ethical alternative to mulesing? (Removal of wool-bearing skin from the breech of a sheep)
Mulesing is the removal of strips of wool-bearing skin from around the breech (buttocks) of a sheep to prevent flystrike (myiasis). The wool around the buttocks can retain feces and urine, which ...
7
votes
1answer
1k views
Is the use of pesticides considered vegan?
While sometimes considered indispensable for crops protection, pesticides are basically weapons of mass destruction aimed at insects and other animals that eat crops. Can food produced with the aid of ...
16
votes
2answers
389 views
Is eating lab-grown meat vegan?
Considering the technology advancement where you could have meat grown in a lab, would it be considered vegan (since it is not a animal product)?
Would it depend whether the lab-grown meat was ...
6
votes
8answers
1k views
If vegans don't drink milk, why are they okay with breastfeeding?
Why is it that some vegans don't use dairy products, but still breast-feed their babies? Isn't this same idea of a mother cow breastfeeding their babies?
Is it about animal cruelty, animal product (...
6
votes
2answers
84 views
How to avoid being part of the slaughter of cockerels on the free-range egg farms?
Most of the eggs that are consumed are infertile. However would eating eggs from certain farms would increase kills of the male chickens (cockerels)? By killing, I mean brutally slaughtered by the use ...
-1
votes
2answers
178 views
Would a vegetarian or vegan eat an animal killed by accident? [closed]
For example, assuming a vegan has no particular religion preventing them from eating pigs: if a pig dies because of an external event or accident, would cooking and eating the pig be consistent with ...
-2
votes
1answer
142 views
What should someone who became a vegan do with their non-vegan possessions? [closed]
For example, someone decides to go vegan but already owns a leather jacket?
What should they do with this jacket and any other non-vegan possessions?
9
votes
1answer
330 views
Do bivalves such as oysters feel pain or fear?
In moral arguments for veganism, the pain, stress, and fear experienced by animals is often given as an argument. I have read some arguments that vegetarians should be OK with eating oysters and ...
