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Just as there are some people who call themselves vegetarians who still eat fish (they ought to call themselves pescatarians) there are also some people who call themselves vegans who have no problem with killing, for example, insects.
Why is this?
I think it's because that most vegans are vegan for ethical reasons and some of them are vegan for ethical reasons because they want to minimize suffering towards all beings but this only applies to beings that can suffer and some vegans think that they know that insects, for example, either don't suffer, are very unlikely to suffer, or suffer very little.
Why is this?
I think it's because that most vegans are vegan for ethical reasons and some of them are vegan for ethical reasons because they want to minimize suffering towards all beings but this only applies to beings that can suffer and some vegans think that they know that insects, for example, either don't suffer, are very unlikely to suffer, or suffer very little.
It is still the case that they are willing to harm animals, though. Because insects are animals. A vegan who, for example, kills a wasp with a wasp spray is, in my view, causing a great deal of suffering to that wasp and this is bad just as killing a cow is bad.
It's harder to avoid killing or harming insects. But the important thing is that we intend not to.
I would also argue that we ought to never attempt to be violent. I don't believe in anything supernatural and I don't accept the religion of Jainism but one could say that I accept its most fundamental tenant of 'extreme' pacifism. You could call me a secular Jain. Or, with further qualification, a minimalist secular jain (little j).
It's harder to avoid killing or harming insects. But the important thing is that we intend not to.
I would also argue that we ought to never attempt to be violent. I don't believe in anything supernatural and I don't accept the religion of Jainism but one could say that I accept its most fundamental tenant of 'extreme' pacifism. You could call me a secular Jain. Or, with further qualification, a minimalist secular jain (little j).
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Philosophy