Questions I Always Get Asked as a Vegan (#1): “But Where Do You Get Your Protein?”

I couldn’t tell you how many times I’ve been asked this. There seems to be an assumption that the only source of protein in a diet is from animal-based foods (i.e. meat, dairy and eggs). But there are clearly animals which don’t eat other animals or their by-products, which means that they must get their…

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Philosopher Gary Francione Says We Are ‘Morally Schizophrenic’ in Terms of How We View Animals

Gary L. Francione is an animal rights philosopher who teaches at Rutgers School of Law. In all of his works and lectures, he champions a belief in animal rights, not animal welfare. He has distanced himself from the most famous ethicist, Peter Singer, who Francione calls an advocate of animal welfare. An advocate of animal…

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Animal Ethics in Hinduism, Buddhism, and Jainism

Hinduism is one of the world’s oldest religions. There are many sub-traditions within Hinduism, but there are two beliefs about humans which seem to dominate the religion’s view of animals. The first belief recognises that humans exist on a continuum with the rest of life and that we are not completely separated from other animals. The…

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Adopting a Vegan Diet for Humanitarian Reasons

People choose a vegan diet usually for ethical, health or environmental reasons. These are all valid reasons and I expect that most people justify their plant-based diet on the basis of either animal welfare or animal rights. However, not everyone is receptive to the idea of valuing animals because they are sentient or because they…

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