Vegan Forum

I am a vegan. I've often pondered the animal rights aspect of vegan lifestyles/philosophy. Frankly, I'd like to know is there any other motivation for vegans choosing not to consume/wear/purchase animal by products other than, "An animal's life was traded for this merchandise?" Besides all the other arguments including, many animal by products are simply non adequately inspected, maintained, etc what other animal protection arguments are there? I'm inquiring here, as I am not familiar with either PRO/CON sides of the argument so please explain.

It's not only about animal life was traded for this merchandise.
For me it's about freedom as an universal principle.

AndyBa wrote:For me it's about freedom as an universal principle.

A tamed dog can become free if it runs into the forest Since it does not, I have to assume the dog doesn't understand the principle of freedom. I'm not sure it is wise to treat animals as you treat people. Just imagine that animals have the same rights as humans. Would you like a dog to be the president of your country for example?

WarChild wrote:

AndyBa wrote:For me it's about freedom as an universal principle.

A tamed dog can become free if it runs into the forest Since it does not, I have to assume the dog doesn't understand the principle of freedom. I'm not sure it is wise to treat animals as you treat people. Just imagine that animals have the same rights as humans. Would you like a dog to be the president of your country for example?

Animals have the same right to live as humans. Other rights were invented specially for humans

Sergio wrote:Animals have the same right to live as humans. Other rights were invented specially for humans

I disagree. This one right (the right to live) was invented specially for humans. Actually invention of the right to live and prohibition of the death sentence have many commom points. Humans learned how to kill animals first. I mean big animals that were stronger than them. Elephants for example. Why didn't they kill all elephants? They tamed them instead. Why? To exploit them. To make them do the work that was hard to be done by hand. Nowadays (the last couple of centuries) our civilization relies more and more on tools/machines. Problem is that these ones must be manned. By humans. Conclusion - a living human brings more profit to the state than a dead one. Because a living human can be exploited. This is the truth about what you claim to be the right to live. Earlier the majority of citizens were fooled with religion. Nowadays there's also the talk about rights.

So what rights do you think exist?

I have the right to live by the rights that I make for myself

WarChild wrote:I have the right to live by the rights that I make for myself

Then you consider only the right of the most powerful?

Attitude also counts, not only power. And about the most powerful - this is more a natural law than a right.

WarChild wrote:A tamed dog can become free if it runs into the forest Since it does not, I have to assume the dog doesn't understand the principle of freedom.

A tamed dog stays with his host, if he is not chained, for the same reason a child stays with his parents or an employee stays with his employer. A child stays with his parents if he likes it, because he depends on it and knows no better, if the parents turn out to be bad he can run, and it happened in many families. Dogs also run away from their bad hosts if they have the opportunity and motivation.

WarChild wrote:I'm not sure it is wise to treat animals as you treat people. Just imagine that animals have the same rights as humans.

We are not talking about the same rights here. We talk about the most basic interests of animals that should be afforded the same consideration as the similar interests of humans.

WarChild wrote:Would you like a dog to be the president of your country for example?

If the dog will win the elections.

WarChild wrote:Attitude also counts, not only power. And about the most powerful - this is more a natural law than a right.

So you say that when humans take care of the weaker and sick, they brake the law of nature?