Abolitionist Approach Podcast: On Anthony Bourdain, Veganism, and Bad Behavior by Some “Animal People”
Dear Friends: Here is a podcast that Anna and I did on Anthony Bourdain. I was sitting too far away from the device. The dogs were walking around the room. We will do better! ********** If you are not vegan, please go vegan. Veganism is about nonviolence. First and foremost, it’s about nonviolence to other […]
A Short Essay on the Meaning of “New Welfarism”
Many of those who are new to thinking about animal ethics get very upset when I say that a group or individual is “new welfarist.” Part of the problem is that these people do not know the history of the animal movement or understand the various ideologies involved. Indeed, many of them reject out of […]
The Death of Activism and the Rise of Branding Spectacle in Animal Advocacy
The traditional animal welfare groups never bothered much with activism. These were charities that just wanted donations. Then, in the 1980s, the “animal rights” movement arrived in the U.S. Although the movement started off with a focus on grassroots activism, the movement morphed into the new welfarist movement–a conglomeration of corporate charities that talked about […]
Animal Rights and “Pets”
Oxford University Press published a collection of essays by philosophers, Pets and People: The Ethics of Our Relationships with Companion Animals. I reviewed the book for the Journal of Value Inquiry. You can find my review here. ********** If you are not vegan, please go vegan. Veganism is about nonviolence. First and foremost, it’s about […]
Tom Regan and the Animal Rights Movement That Once Was
Between the Species, an online journal for the study of philosophy and animals, did an In Memoriam issue focused Tom Regan, who passed away February 20917. Here is the lead essay, Reflections of Tom Regan and the Animal Rights Movement That Once Was, which I was invited to contribute. ********** If you are not vegan, […]
Adventures in Confused Thinking About Sexism
Someone sent this PETA poster and PETA’s reply to the claim that this sort of thing commodifies women. According to PETA, it is “misogynist” to claim that this poster commodifies women because it fails to respect the decision that women make to participate in making a poster like this. To call that confused reasoning on […]
Guest Essay on Ecorazzi.com: Veganism as a Matter of Justice: A Short Reply to the Welfarists
Here is a Guest Essay I did for vegan site, Ecorazzi.com: Veganism as a Matter of Justice: A Short Reply to the Welfarists When I promote the position that veganism is a moral imperative (veganism is something we are morally obligated to do) and that justice requires that we be vegan, some welfarists respond: “But […]