Weakest arguments against veganism — Part I
I’ve worked for quite some time on a book about challenging arguments against veganism, but here is not the place for that. Rather, let us take it easy this time around and check out some takes that are unexpectedly fun, patronisingly weird or boastfully lazy. This list may also prove to be surprisingly useful for non-vegans, as it is shows what will not impress the other side.
But what is veganism? It is a moral position promoting the idea that humans can live just fine if they’re nicer to animals. Vegans, then, do not eat or use animal products and don’t think of animals as entertainment. Many people find this way of thinking rather strange, so naturally, they think of it as some conspiracy and make fun of people who dare to differ… I mean, they bring sound arguments against it. It is, after all, only human to discuss morals.
To make this discussion fair, a list of good arguments will be shortly published. Until then, let’s get to this on! P.S. There will be memes!
Contents:
Welcome to my island…
That one argument about Hitler people definitely bring up only as a joke
The not-so-casual impotence
Fake meat and real choices
The elusive vegan tricksters
Welcome to my island…
Claim: You are not a real vegan! What if you were shipwrecked or found yourself alone on a wild island? You’d eat meat.
Response: Veganism does not demand the impossible. Good moral codes make a difference between day-to-day life and extreme situations.
Discussion: Who doesn’t like a good thought experiment? And this happens to be exactly that, for it can lead to lively and fiery conversations. That is, when not used as some sort of gotcha vegans. And it is way too often used like that.
Now, the more extreme the situation, the more chances you’d lose your mind and try anything to survive. It is, indeed, amazing and inspiring when people can maintain their moral composure during such times, but we should also acknowledge the need for different moral standards for day-to-day life as opposed to extreme situations.
In all realness, discussing extreme thought experiments can be a very useful tool for genuine debate and growth. We can learn from extreme situations in real life too. The Vegan Society, for example, — at a time when, understandably, most people had enough with what nazis were doing to other humans; some found the time to think about animals too. Similarly, nowadays, a hand to people and animals struggling in Ukraine. too.
Why, though, is this thought experiment in the list of ‘bad’ arguments? Well, it’s not only because of that co-worker who brought it up 40 times during lunches and never listened to a word you said. It’s mostly because of its self-defeating nature. While the thought experiment is supposed to put a vegan into difficulty, it actually raises the question of why would we harm animals when not in an extreme survival situation?!
That one argument about Hitler people definitely bring up only as a joke
Claim: Hitler was a vegetarian; hence veganism is wrong!
Response: Weird moustache man was an awful person, and comparing a group of people to him is usually meant to insult.
Discussion: The idea of this joke is to paint vegans as the baddies because weird moustache man was doing something similar. This can work as a somewhat morbid jok,e but otherwise, it is a brain-dead take. Just like Hitler. Now, it doesn’t take more than 2 seconds to see the flaws with such an idea: Hitler’s vegetarianism was and, more importantly, he was not a vegan. Also, Nazis did persecute vegetarians, so… you know… so much for finding one good thing about them.
There is one implication, however, that usually escapes those who use this argument. They put themselves morally below Putin… sorry, I meant to say Hitler. And that is because one way to understand this argument is: I won’t be nice to animals because a fascist influencer was nice to animals. Well, this is a fantastically bankrupt way of thinking. Especially when even in this it is actually easy to be better than Hitler — for example, you may start by not persecuting vegetarians.
If the argument is meant to suggest that veganism is totalitarian or violent, well then, the person making such an argument has no idea what they are talking about. If they are your friends, please be patient; likely they have stepped into some far-right bubble, but this is a curable condition. If they are not your friends, they probably want to have a laugh at you or ‘trigger’ you.
(Note to vegetarians reading this: you are doing fine and are amazing people. Don’t let anyone comparing you to Hitler stop from being kind and lovely humans.)
The not-so-casual impotence
Claim: Veganism is defeated by the . It cannot save all animals and it cannot convince the majority of people to stop harming animals.
Response: If true, this argument does not necessarily invalidate veganism but proves we live in a bullshit world. A world where, even if aware of the needless and immoral suffering animals are subjected to, we can’t do much to help them. The vegan choice, then, is still the correct one, but the maximum goal (of ending all forms of animal exploitation) may well be unattainable while less ambitious goals are within reach.
Discussion: This is both one of the best and worst arguments against veganism. Best because it may well be true. Worst because, if true, it means we truly live a bullshit world and that Schopenhauer was . Or that David Benatar . Or that George Carlin . And who would want these guys to be right?
If not bad, this is at least an annoying argument, simply because what the hell are we supposed to do? There are still people owning slaves, assaulting women or thinking that Putin is a genius, but that does not mean the fight against those practices was or is useless. So then, we have no other choice but coming together and getting stuff done.
The argument reminds us to be humble and focus on things that can be done or improved realistically. We may not save all animals, but even if we help a few, that still reduces suffering, so it is worth doing. In addition to this, while there are some people who can achieve great things by themselves, for most of us the power rests in joining forces with others. Being humble or realistic about the limits of what we can achieve does not mean our actions do not have an impact. Case in point: people telling vegans they won’t make a difference actually make a difference themselves. A difference for worse, to be clear.
Fake meat and real choices
Claims: I’d be vegan if veggies tasted like meat! Why do you eat fake meat if you are vegan anyway?
Response: To each their own.
Discussion: Sometimes , but in the real world, when people have the of , everybody does just as much or as little as they can or want. The important thing is to understand why vegans choose to eat ‘fake’ meat.
Furthermore, there are still things one can do. One can reduce meat consumption to a healthy level; one can replace some meat with alternative protein in dishes where meat is not the main star (such as chilli con carne, soups, stews, Bolognese, etc.); one can try different plant-based alternatives until they find something that suits their taste.
Still, why do vegans choose to eat ‘fake meat’? Simply because they like the taste but they do not agree with the way it is made. Let me give you some analogies to this: some people drink decaf or coffee-replacements because they do not tolerate well coffee or it is too addictive for them. Other people treat themselves to cookies made with sugar replacements because they want to prevent health problems. You then have people choosing to drink non-alcoholic drinks, at least from time to time, for personal or medical reasons. Some aggressive or energetic people do sports or boxing as a healthier way of releasing those feelings. There are countless such situations. Vegans who eat analogues to animal products differ perhaps
simply because their choice is made not only for their personal benefit but also for that of animals.
The elusive vegan tricksters
Claim: Vegans force their beliefs on others. Veganism takes away the freedom of choice.
Response: This is such a weird statement to make in a world where you can literally buy pieces of animals almost everywhere. You can also buy living animals and do whatever you want to them. You can go in the wild and kill as many animals as you find (unless humans have already killed so many of them that they are protected by law, but you can find other species or bribe yourself a way to bypass the laws). Please don’t do any of these — I was just refuting a point, not encouraging you.
Discussion: We are right to say that the aim of veganism is to abolish all forms of animal exploitation. Now, this is a difficult task, unlikely to ever be fully realised. And that is because vegans recognise that certain uses of animals . But veganism is a moral code of conduct that recognises the interests of humans too. As such, it accepts the fact that there are people (living in poverty, sick, allergic, etc.) who need to use animals.
If there will be a future when vegans become the majority or manage to somehow force their moral views unto others, then we’d indeed have a problem and reason to accuse them of moral oddity. That day has not come yet, so this is a non-problem. At this moment in time, vegans are a minority, so they can’t force anyone to do anything. Animal rights activists have managed to obtain some success in campaigning , for the development of plant-based food alternatives and for the legal banning of blood sports. Certainly, though, our society as a whole benefits from these developments.
You could, perhaps, claim that laws against blood-sports and other usage of animals for entertainment deny some people the pleasure brought by such activities, but it is difficult to make a moral case for such ‘sports’. You may also complain that the simple presence of vegan foods or the existence of vegans displeases you, but then again, it won’t be easy to make a moral argument for this because you are not the bellybutton of the world and not everything revolves around you. Different things exist, and if you cannot understand them or accept the fact that they exist, the problem may be on your side. If it brings you any consolation though, vegans also have to accept that , that of animals are killed yearly, that people feel entitled to , or that some people !
Stay tuned for part two of this series of arguments.
Also, you can check out my list of the best arguments against veganism. When I publish it, that is.
You can send your feedback, questions or opinion about the article to the email address [email protected], on or .
