We can no more justify using nonhumans as human resources than we can justify human slavery. Animal use and slavery have at least one important point in common: both institutions treat sentient beings exclusively as resources of others. That cannot be justified with respect to humans; it cannot be justified with respect to nonhumansโhowever โhumanelyโ we treat them.
Gary L. FrancioneSo it is always preferable to discuss the matter of veganism in a non-judgemental way. Remember that to most people, eating flesh or dairy and using animal products such as leather, wool, and silk, is as normal as breathing air or drinking water. A person who consumes dairy or uses animal products is not necessarily or usually what a recent and unpopular American president labelled an "evil doer.
Gary L. FrancioneEven if plants were sentient, veganism would still be a moral imperative given that it takes many pounds of plants to produce one pound of flesh.
Gary L. FrancioneVeganism is not about giving anything up or losing anything; it is about gaining the peace within yourself that comes from embracing nonviolence and refusing to participate in the exploitation of the vulnerable
Gary L. FrancioneI maintain that we ought to abolish the institution and stop causing or facilitating the existence of more 'companion' animals.
Gary L. FrancioneIt's really not rocket science. If animals are not mere things; if they have moral value, we cannot justify eating, wearing, or using them particularly when we have no better reason than palate pleasure or fashion. If you are eating, wearing, or using animals, then your actions say that you regard them as mere things, despite what your words say.
Gary L. Francione