From Diet to Dogma: The Ethical Problems with Veganism

Diet is one of those topics which goes beyond simply what you put into your body and speaks to deeper truths about how you see the world and your role in it. It’s ethical, and probably the most well-known example of this is veganism.

Okay so before I get going what do I admire about veganism? I’ve lived the past few years in a hot spot of vegan restaurants, cooking schools, and practicioners — Ubud, Bali. I’m around vegans a lot: I’ve dated several, I can count probably a dozen friends who have been or are vegans, and I’ve found myself at many meals where someone is proclaiming the benefits of going vegan. Thus I find the whole topic fascinating for a variety of reason I’ll get into below.

1. Veganism encourages conscious eating. There are benefits of taking photos of the food you’re about to eat. It causes you to think a bit more about what it is you’re putting in your body. I think the average vegan is more aware of this phenomenon than the average non-vegan — if for no other reason than they sit down at every meal and think through what’s gone into it.
2. Veganism encourages people to make sacrifices for a cause they believe in. I think that’s admirable. Ongoing sacrifices are hard to make.
3. Veganism encourages self-discipline. Having an ethical framework by which to make decisions — and then sticking to it, even when it’s not popular — takes courage.
4. Vegan food by and large tastes good. It’s inventive, interesting, creative, and a lot of times surprising — when it’s done well.

Those are some of the benefits in my opinion. As I understand the path for a lot of vegans, their decision to “go vegan” is akin to a religious conversion. It’s as if they’ve “seen the light” let’s say, and decided there’s No Way Back.

Read more here: https://spreadgreatideas.org/concepts/from-diet-to-dogma-the-ethical-problems-with-veganism/

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