What does it mean to be vegan? — Beyond Veganism
Vegans are sometimes responsible for more animal exploitation than omnivores. This is a conclusion I've come to after a lot of years as a vegan, befriending many vegans, and doing a lot of research. What does vegan mean? Many vegans define their lifestyle choice as “not supporting the exploitation of animals.” This extends to not wearing silk, wool or fur, not eating honey, dairy, eggs, fish or meat, and not purchasing products tested on animals. (“Vegetarian” only implies not eating meat.) What is the value system that leads one to be vegan? The heart of veganism is “do no harm.” Yet this sound and compassionate core value is often corrupted. Many vegans think of it more as, “inflict no pain, and be not party to inflicting pain.” This distinction leads to a lot of misunderstanding and confused value systems. Should vegans worry about hurting plants? They should, yes. Yet by arguing that plants don't feel pain (because they lack a nervous sys