Wednesday, August 18, 2010

The Basic Vegan Moral Argument

Let's just get this (the moral argument for veganism) out there, so it's explicit and 'out in the open'.  It's really quite simple, and it will give me the chance to explain a few aspects of logic! SWEEEETT! Come on, tell me that you're not excited ...

There are tons of things I could explain at this point, but we'll just start with the structure of this argument!

Oh excuse my manners. I haven't even introduced you two yet! Shucks.

Here is the basic ethical argument for veganism:

Premise A: It is wrong (or bad) to cause unecessary suffering to others (other sentient beings).


Premise B: The ways that we use (or exploit) animals for food, clothes, etc. is unecessary.


Conclusion: Therefore using animals for these purposes is wrong (or bad).


Now allow me to explain a few components of the logic here.

This is an ethical argument because it makes a statement about what is right or wrong (good or bad).  Ethical arguments do this.  This is of course a statement about what we shouldn't be doing, exploiting animals.

Also it is a syllogistic argument (a type of deductive logic). A syllogism is an argument where the conclusion is inferred by the premises, meaning it must follow.

The premises are axiomatic, meaning they are self-evident.  That does not mean that they may NOT be contested.  If someone wants to work against this argument they would need to attack the premises afterall.

That's probably about enough fun for now ... Settle down children.  I'll write again soon. Then we can have loads more fun with logic.  Soon I'll explain possible contentions with this argument and in so doing explain further the details behind the axioms.

4 comments:

  1. What's with all the math? The reason to be vegan is that animals are cute and cuddly.

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  2. Hi there,

    Is your comment a joke? Please remember that it is hard to read sarcasm online, and I do not know you at all.

    If you are serious please consider the following: I understand an appeal to emotion can actually be a very strong motivator for people to become vegan. It does seem a bit ironic that you are complaining about logic on a site that is dedicated to investigating the the logic and illogic surrounding veganism and discussion of it. I'd like to see you make a case for your position ...

    If reason is not good enough, it seems fitting that you propose a new foundation for meaningful discourse, amongst people who disagree especially.

    It's obvious, but I'll say it anyway, we clearly do not care only about the animals, human or otherwise who are cute. Of course there are non-cuddly animals as well. LOL.

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  3. Simple and straight forward, I like it. Its the exact logic I use.
    Usually they use a anthropocentric or religiously based argument in response,and using logic against that is futile as using a martini umbrella in a hurricane.

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  4. The fake ethics of "veganism" are built on a classic logical fallacy: denying the antecedent. It goes like this:

    If I consume animal parts, I cause the suffering and death of animals.

    I do not consume any animal parts;

    therefore, I do not cause the suffering and death of animals.

    This is easily seen to be false, because nearly everything "vegans" *do* consume causes some amount of suffering and death of animals. For example, nearly all "vegans" eat rice, and rice is a particularly lethal crop to produce: paddies are flooded, killing animals; when the rice is ready to harvest paddies are drained, killing still more animals; animals must be exterminated at rice (and other grain) storage depots.

    Human productive activity causes animals to suffer and die - not in dispute. "vegans" participate in this activity, either directly as producers or indirectly as consumers. The ethical premise of "veganism" is false.

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