We like to think of ourselves as King of the Jungle. But haven’t we given up monarchy as a bad idea? It’s much more egalitarian to eat as an herbivore. We really don’t need other animals to chew our vegetables for us at this point. A cow may not be able to perform calculus, but she certainly doesn’t want to die and end up on our dinner plate. It’s easy to ignore how she feels about the whole process, but the more meat (and dairy and eggs) we eat, the more karma comes back to bite us in the butt with food-borne illnesses, chronic diseases, polluted waters, deforestation, and global warming. And after all, these are creatures just like us, living and breathing and feeling — something no animal industry acknowledges, not even the ones that want them alive for their milk and eggs — something that even the King of the Jungle has to respect.
Essays on the Philosophy of Veganism
The Value of Life
A detailed consideration of compassion as a guiding principle.
The Taste of Meat
Dealing with omnivores.
A Little Theory of Animate Things On the idea that mobility encourages, even requires sentience.
Circle of Empathy
An attempt to defend compassion without stepping into someone else’s shoes.
Eating Animals Response Veganism in the age of the family farm.
The Chicken in the Box Why we should let our empathy out.
Articles on Animal Intelligence
Animals are Moral Beings
Evidence of altruism and consideration of others in non-human animals.
The secret life of moody cows
Cows can experience pleasure and the intellectual thrill of discovery.
Who are you calling bird brain?
Chicken chatter is revealed to be surprisingly complex.
On the intelligence of crows
This TED Talk video discusses the amazing abilities of crows to solve problems… and potential to cooperate with them.
Resources
Humane Myth
Details about the conditions of animals raised for food and the thoughts of humans who have experience with them, including former farmers and cattle ranchers.
The Animal Rights Library
Classical and modern writings on animal rights and vegetarianism.
That’s Why We Don’t Eat Animals
A children’s book about veganism.
Animals — Property or Persons?
An academic paper discussing the legal questions of animal rights.
