Understanding veganism

I have noticed in comments on blogs about veganism, even those when I'm not writing about food, speak about the vegan diet or someone changing their diet. So, I thought I would write a blog today about the definition of vegan and all it entails.

First, here is the definition as created by Donald Watson and his team in 1944 for the then named - The Vegetarian Society, now The Vegan Society.

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 the environment. In dietary terms it denotes the practice of dispensing with all products derived wholly or partly from animals.

As we see In this definition, veganism Is first and foremost a philosophy and lifestyle. The philosophy of veganism Is the moral baseline for humans. There Is no moral justification for the way we treat and use animals for human convenience, taste,...etc. (Check out my Interview with philosopher Matthew Halteman where he explains this In more detail - Episode 120.) By the way, people were vegan well before 1944, they just didn't yet have that word. Many called themselves strict vegetarians.

Of course, we do need to talk about diet, many of us eat 3 times a day so what we're consuming versus who we're consuming is a significant piece of our day-to-day as a vegan. I am not denying that, in today's blog I'd like to share the other aspects of veganism to help give a more rounded view.

The first sentence continues that vegans exclude as far as is possible and practicable, I'd like to pause here and address that too. This is an acknowledgement of the non-vegan world we live in and how it can sometimes be impossible to fully avoid something that has involved the exploitation of animals. This is not, for example, you're feeling a craving for a cow cheese pizza so you're going to order this pizza and go back to eating vegan tomorrow. What it does mean is maybe you need a life saving medication (whether it is one time or a medication you take for something chronic - Including your mental health), it is most likely at least that this medication or something within it has been tested on animals at some point. See the difference? It isn't about purity or hurting yourself to save animals, it is about doing whatever you can whenever you can to remove yourself from systems that exploit animals. You may not have a choice to take a certain medication but you do have a choice of what you consume (both literally and as a consumer of items/experiences...etc.)

"...clothing or any other purpose..." This means fashion (both fast fashion and couture, and really anything else in between), entertainment (circuses, zoos, aquariums, swimming with dolphins...etc.), products (both those that have been tested on animals and those that include animal products within them)

Within this definition we also acknowledge the impact our food systems have on the environment. Only in that last sentence does the definition speak to the eating of animals.

It's all of the obvious things and the things you definitely wouldn't think of before you came to understand veganism.

For example, silk isn't vegan, as "animals" in the definition includes insects and silk is taken from silkworms who have been boiled alive to force the release of the silk. The process is called sericulture by the industry, and it does involve thousands of silkworms being boiled at the pupal stage.

Swimming with dolphins, not a vegan activity, as the dolphins are held in captivity and then forced to engage with humans whether they want to or not. Photos with big cats fall under this as well, those cats are too dangerous to be interacting with the public (they are wild animals, after all) so they are drugged to keep them docile while interacting with people, they are also kept in captivity.

The simplest way to live as a vegan, that I have found anyway, is to use this definition as guidance in all of your decisions. At first, it can feel overwhelming, but just like with anything new, when we do it enough it becomes second nature and doesn't feel like a process at all.

Many vegans, myself included, see veganism beyond this definition as it truly does go beyond philosophy and lifestyle, it is at its core a social justice movement, as veganism challenges systemic oppression. It challenges speciesism (The assumption of human superiority leading to the exploitation of animals). The food system, the animal agriculture system I'm sure you have heard these phrases too, within these systems animals and humans alike are oppressed. The mass exploitation can only be eradicated through a dismantling of the system. It is not a simple matter of "you respect my choice and I'll respect yours" because it isn't a simple matter of personal choice when one of those choices involves a victim.

Dr. Will Tuttle sees veganism as a spiritual awakening, I'll talk more about this in an upcoming blog.

Tell me in the comments below, did this blog help you better understand veganism or did I confuse you further? Fellow vegans, what did I miss? Don't hesitate to ask questions too!

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