Entries by Gary L. Francione

Guest Essay from Macrobiotic Pioneer, Marlene Watson-Tara: “Go Vegan – It’s Easy”

We are very happy to present a guest essay–Go Vegan – It’s Easy, from Marlene Watson-Tara, International Author and Teacher of Macrobiotics & Human Ecology. Marlene, and her partner, Bill Tara, are pioneers of the Macrobiotic movement. They have developed a vegan macrobiotic approach called MACROVegan. ********** GO VEGAN – IT’S EASY Our Vegan Advocacy […]

Aspiring to Act Justly and Fairly Is Not “Sh*t”

Someone sent me this as one of the many examples of opportunistic so-called “animal advocates” who fall over themselves in a mad dash to say that animal exploitation is really okay while they hold their hands out for donations: Imagine someone saying: “Most of the time, I am not a bigot. But I’m not perfect […]

Abolitionist Approach Podcast: An Easy Way to Start a Conversation About Veganism

Dear Friends: Here is a podcast that Anna Charlton and I did on an easy way to start a conversation about veganism. ********** If you are not vegan, please go vegan. Veganism is about nonviolence. First and foremost, it’s about nonviolence to other sentient beings. But it’s also about nonviolence to the earth and nonviolence […]

Abolitionist Approach Podcast: On the Misuse of “Abolition”

Dear Friends: Here is a podcast that Anna and I did on the misuse of “Abolition”. ********** If you are not vegan, please go vegan. Veganism is about nonviolence. First and foremost, it’s about nonviolence to other sentient beings. But it’s also about nonviolence to the earth and nonviolence to yourself. If animals matter morally, […]

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, […]