CROOKED PATH

A "humanely" killed animal is still killed - and that's wrong - Anna E. Charlton and Gary L. Francione, Aeon (September 8, 2017)

• Western conventional wisdom about animal ethics - that killing an animal is OK if it's done "humanely" - is wrong.
• The sentience of animals is not a characteristic evolved to serve an end in itself, but a means to the end of continued existence.
• Even if animals live in an "eternal present," that does not mean they are not self-aware or that they do not have an interest in continuing to live.
• Because animals are sentient beings with a desire to continue to live, death harms them, and it is therefore wrong to kill them.

We must not own animals - Gary L. Francione, Aeon (March 1, 2022)

• Most, or substantially all, of our use of animals is unnecessary.
• The concepts of "humane treatment" and "necessary suffering" are morally meaningless as long as animals are property. Regulations built on these concepts provide little protection to animals.
• Animals have sentience and a morally significant interest in continuing to live; how long they wish to live is irrelevant.
• Peter Singer can go fuck himself.

Why we should give moral consideration to individuals rather than species - Animal Ethics (last accessed February 23, 2023)

• "A species is an abstract entity that cannot have experiences and therefore cannot be wronged in the way that sentient individuals can."
• Ecological interventions that prioritize species entail harm toward sentient individuals.
• Human interests in biodiversity (aesthetic, scientific, cultural, etc.) should not take precedence over individual nonhuman animal interests.
• Prioritizing ecosystems implies that species that perform certain ecological functions have moral precedence over those that do not; this harms sentient individuals.

Why we should give moral consideration to sentient beings rather than ecosystems - Animal Ethics (last accessed February 23, 2023)

• Sentient individuals can have positive and negative experiences, but ecosystems cannot.
• However, advocates of this view consider the stability of the ecosystem valuable in itself.
• Preserving this stability harms sentient individuals (i.e., the destruction of "invasive species").
• Most who center ecosystems do not consider applying their own solutions to humans; they almost always favor human interests, which reveals their anthropocentrism.
• Ecosystems are changing all the time and are not "stable," so there is nothing truly concrete enough to preserve.
• It is better to intervene for the sake of sentient beings rather than for conservationist or other anthropocentric motivations.

Guide to justifications for harming and exploiting animals - Vegan Sidekick (last accessed February 12, 2023)

This page is a bit more comprehensive than Your Vegan Fallacy Is (see below).

Your Vegan Fallacy Is - Ceallaigh S. Mac-Cath-Moran and Sean P. O. MacCath-Moran (last accessed February 15, 2023)

This page features translations in German, Polish, Portuguese, and Spanish.

Fish can recognize themselves in photos, further evidence they may be self-aware - Betsy Mason, Science News (February 6, 2023)

In Favor of Animal Consciousness - Donald R. Griffin, Animal Minds: Beyond Cognition to Consciousness (2001)

• Many animals adapt their behavior to the challenges of their situation. This ability to be versatile is evidence of cognition.
• Just as consciousness varies widely between humans, consciousness between species probably varies widely too.
• Animals, like humans, are probably aware of only a small fraction of what happens in their brains, but the consciousness that exists is nonetheless important.
• This conscious thinking and emotional feeling are core functions of the central nervous system and the best ways for animals to cope with challenges.
• The line between perceptual consciousness (consciously thinking about something) and reflective consciousness (introspection) is too blurry to clearly ascribe or deny either to animals.
• Animals have subjective feelings and emotions that should be included in cognitive ethology. It should not be limited to nonconscious information processing or non-emotional thoughts.

Becoming a vegetarian - Harvard Medical School (April 15, 2020)

• Although previous research has focused on the nutritional deficiencies of plant-based diets, studies now confirm that well-planned vegetarian (including vegan) diets are "nutritionally sufficient [and] a way to reduce the risk for many chronic illnesses."
• Iron, protein, and zinc are already easy to obtain in vegan diets.
• Vegans can also consume fortified foods or take supplements to obtain B12 and Omega-3 fatty acids.

British Dietetic Association confirms well-planned vegan diets can support healthy living in people of all ages - British Dietetic Association (August 7, 2017)

"The BDA has renewed its memorandum of understanding with The Vegan Society to state that a balanced vegan diet can be enjoyed by children and adults, including during pregnancy and breastfeeding, if the nutritional intake is well-planned."

Healthy eating for vegetarians and vegans - British Nutrition Foundation (July 2018)

• The nutrients from non-vegan diets are readily available in vegan diets as well.
• Vegans have lower intakes of long-chain omega-3 fats than people who consume fish, but there is no strong evidence that they have poorer health as a result. (This nutrient is still available in soybeans, walnuts, and some seeds.)

Position of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics: Vegetarian Diets - Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics (December 2016)

• Well-planned vegan diets are "healthful, nutritionally adequate, and may provide health benefits for the prevention and treatment of certain diseases."
• Vegan diets are appropriate for all stages of the life cycle.
• Vegan diets are more sustainable than diets rich in animal products because they use fewer natural resources and are associated with less environmental damage.

The vegan diet - UK National Health Service (May 31, 2022)

"With good planning and an understanding of what makes up a healthy, balanced vegan diet, you can get all the nutrients your body needs."

Vegetarian and vegan diets during pregnancy - British Nutrition Foundation (April 2015)

"With some careful meal planning, and by eating a variety and balance of different vegetarian or vegan foods, vegetarian and vegan mums-to-be should be able to get all the nutrients that they are their baby need."

Vegetarian diets - Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada (last accessed February 18, 2023)

"Vegetarian and vegan diets can provide all the nutrients you need at any age, as well as some additional health benefits."

What You Need to Know About Following a Vegan Eating Plan - UnlockFood.ca (October 13, 2020)

"Anyone can follow a vegan diet - from children to teens to older adults. It's even healthy for pregnant or nursing mothers. A well-planned vegan diet is high in fibre, vitamins and antioxidants. Plus, it's low in saturated fat and cholesterol. This healthy combination helps protect against chronic diseases. Vegans have lower rates of heart disease, diabetes and certain types of cancer than non-vegans. Vegans also have lower blood pressure levels than both meat-eaters and vegetarians and are less likely to be overweight."

Why Veganism is Praxis - Praxis Dragon, YouTube (August 19, 2022)

CW: ableist slurs, graphic animal cruelty (including killing)

• Besides animals having sentience, they also have the ability to suffer. (4:46)
• The temporary pleasure of consuming animal products does not justify exploiting those animals. (5:30)
• Animal liberation entails ceasing all animal industries, ending the exploitation of nature, and adopting a vegan diet. (6:38)
• Even humans who do not care about animal suffering should be concerned about the negative effects animal agriculture has on our ecosystem and our health (in the form of zoonotic diseases). (10:07)
• Worldwide conversion to a plant-based diet would drastically reduce the amount of land needed for global agriculture to feed humans. (11:29)
• Animal agriculture industries are extremely dangerous for, exploitative of, and traumatizing to its human workers and their communities. (17:31)
• Going vegan is proven to be an effective way of reducing negative human impact on the planet. (20:56)
• Veganism is praxis because it challenges the oppression of and prejudice toward animals (speciesism) - the same bigotry that enables other kinds of oppression. (21:18)

Myth: Almond milk is using all the water. - Truth or Drought (last accessed February 23, 2023)

• People in the media who spread this myth are connected to promoting the dairy industry.
• Almonds are generally consumed sparingly compared to dairy, eggs, and meat. Even almond milk consists of around 2% almonds, similar to mammalian milk.
• Dairy milk has much higher greenhouse gas emissions and land use requirements (not to mention cruelty involved).
• The yield of California almonds is much greater than that of the state's animal dairy.
• 8% of California's agricultural water is used for almonds, producing 99% of US almonds and 80% of almonds worldwide.
• 15% of California's agricultural water is used for alfalfa hay for livestock, especially that for dairy.
• In total, 47% of California's agricultural water is used for meat and dairy combined (not including animals' drinking water or sanitation). California produces only 21% of US dairy and 1.4% of dairy worldwide.

Further reading

This section is still being developed.

Critical animal studies

See also "Intersectionality" below.

CAS Ten Principles (see also here)

Further reading

Critical Animal Studies: An Introduction - Dawne McCance (SUNY Press, 2013)

"White Power Milk": Dairy, Dietary Racism, and the "Alt-Right" - Vasile Stănescu, Animal Studies Journal (2018)

Why do right-wing adherents engage in more animal exploitation and meat consumption? - Kristof Dhont and Gordon Hodson, Personality and Individual Differences (July 2014)

Almond milk: A medieval obsession - Declan Henesy, Seconds (January 27, 2021)

Americans have been enjoying nut milk and nut butter for at least 4 centuries - Avery Yale Kamila, Portland Press Herald (November 8, 2020)

18 Theses on Marxism and Animal Liberation - Bündnis Marxismus & Tierbefreiung (January 8, 2018) (alternate link here)

Animal liberation and Marxism - Maciej Zurowski, Weekly Worker (January 23, 2014)

Beasts of Burden: Capitalism, Animals, Communism - Anonymous, Zabalaza Books (1999) (reposted on blog Species and Class on June 27, 2014)

Marxism and the Animal Question - Maila Costa, Animal Liberation Currents (January 28, 2020)

The Marxist Turn in Animal Liberation? - Michael John Addario with Daniel Werding, Christin Bernhold, and David Müller, Animal Liberation Currents (April 23, 2019)

Our Animals, Ourselves - Astra Taylor and Sunaura Taylor, Lux Magazine (Summer 2022)

Social Theory, Ideology Critique and CLass Struggle - Tierrechts-Aktion-Nord (TAN), Assoziation Dæmmerung (August 2011)

Why Veganism is Praxis - Praxis Dragon, YouTube (August 19, 2022)

CW: ableist slurs, graphic animal cruelty (including killing)

• Besides animals having sentience, they also have the ability to suffer. (4:46)
• The temporary pleasure of consuming animal products does not justify exploiting those animals. (5:30)
• Animal liberation entails ceasing all animal industries, ending the exploitation of nature, and adopting a vegan diet. (6:38)
• Even humans who do not care about animal suffering should be concerned about the negative effects animal agriculture has on our ecosystem and our health (in the form of zoonotic diseases). (10:07)
• Worldwide conversion to a plant-based diet would drastically reduce the amount of land needed for global agriculture to feed humans. (11:29)
• Animal agriculture industries are extremely dangerous for, exploitative of, and traumatizing to its human workers and their communities. (17:31)
• Going vegan is proven to be an effective way of reducing negative human impact on the planet. (20:56)
• Veganism is praxis because it challenges the oppression of and prejudice toward animals (speciesism) - the same bigotry that enables other kinds of oppression. (21:18)

Further reading

Animal Sacrifices: Religious Perspectives on the Use of Animals in Science - Tom Regan (ed.) (Temple University Press, 1986)

See also "Hunting" below.

Bycatch - A Sad Topic - World Wildlife Fund (last accessed February 15, 2023)

Ecosystem collapse "inevitable" unless wildlife losses reversed - Damian Carrington, The Guardian (February 24, 2023)

Effects of Aquaculture on World Fish Supplies - Ecological Society of America, Issues in Ecology (Winter 2001)

Extinction risk and conservation of the world's sharks and rays - Nicholas K. Dulvy et al., eLife (January 21, 2014)

Population biology of infectious diseases shared by wild and farmed fish - Martin Krkošek, Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences (April 2017)

What if all the wasps disappeared? - Maia Films, BBC (March 4, 2020)

You're Worrying About the Wrong Bees - Gwen Pearson, Wired (April 29, 2015)

Animal agriculture subsidies skyrocket in 2020 despite impact on climate change and health - Animal Agriculture and Climate Change (last accessed February 24, 2023)

Climate Chaos (Part I) - How the Gap Between Liberal Rhetoric & Policy Promotes Denialism - Nima Shirazi and Adam Johnson with Basav Sen, Citations Needed (October 21, 2020)

Climate Chaos (Part II) - The Militarization of Liberals' Climate Change Response - Nima Shirazi and Adam Johnson with Lorah Steichen, Citations Needed (October 28, 2020)

Food production is responsible for one-quarter of the world's greenhouse gas emissions - Hannah Ritchie, Our World in Data (November 6, 2019)

Half the world's habitable land is used for agriculture - Hannah Ritchie, Our World in Data (November 11, 2019)

Millions of Tiny Cows to Regenerate the Soil - Nassim Nobari, CounterPunch (April 30, 2021)

Soybeans - Union of Concerned Scientists (October 9, 2015)

• 70-75% of the world's soy ends up as feed for chickens, pigs, cows, and farmed fish. Only 6% is for direct human consumption.
• The Soy Moratorium in Brazil demonstrates that, with proper regulations, soybeans can be grown sustainably.
• Although soybeans still contribute to environmental damage in other areas, this can be mitigated by increasing yields rather than expansion.

Further reading

This section is still being developed.

See also "Hunting" and "Riding" below.

This section is still being developed.

This section is still being developed.

This section is still being developed.

Further reading

This section is still being developed.

Does It Matter that Jonathan Safran Foer Isn't Vegan? - Josh Hooten, All-Creatures.Org (November 2009)

"White Power Milk": Dairy, Dietary Racism, and the "Alt-Right" - Vasile Stănescu, Animal Studies Journal (2018)

This section is still being developed.

Does Holistic Processing Require a Large Brain? Insights From Honeybees and Wasps in Fine Visual Recognition Tasks - Aurore Avarguès-Weber et al., Frontiers in Psychology (July 31, 2018)

Queen Mary research is changing the way we think about bees - Queen Mary University of London (August 5, 2022)

Wasps and honeybees can remember individual faces - Lisa Winter, IFLScience (December 5, 2013)

You're Worrying About the Wrong Bees - Gwen Pearson, Wired (April 29, 2015)

"Humane slaughter" of livestock does not exist (2023) - Colin Henstock, AlterNet (February 15, 2023)

Brazil: Halt illegal cattle farms fuelling Amazon rainforest destruction - Amnesty International (November 26, 2019)

Cutting down forests: what are the drivers of deforestation? - Hannah Ritchie, Our World in Data (February 23, 2021)

The Meat Industry's Bestiality Problem - Gabriel N. Rosenberg and Jan Dutkiewicz, The New Republic (December 11, 2020)

Will bird flu spark the next pandemic? - Ian Graber-Stiehl, Al Jazeera (February 16, 2023)

Further reading

This section is still being developed.

Consider the Lobster - David Foster Wallace, Gourmet (August 2004)

Effects of Aquaculture on World Fish Supplies - Ecological Society of America, Issues in Ecology (Winter 2001)

Extinction risk and conservation of the world's sharks and rays - Nicholas K. Dulvy et al., eLife (January 21, 2014)

Fish can recognize themselves in photos, further evidence they may be self-aware - Betsy Mason, Science News (February 6, 2023)

New study reveals "staggering" scale of lost fishing gear drifting in Earth's oceans - Graham Readfern, The Guardian (October 15, 2022)

Population biology of infectious diseases shared by wild and farmed fish - Martin Krkošek, Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences (April 2017)

Transnational Organized Crime in the Fishing Industry - United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (2011)

Further reading

This section is still being developed.

Arguments for and Against Hunting - Doris Lin, Treehugger (April 25, 2021)

Cutting Through the Rhetoric on Hunters vs. Wildlife - Allen Rutberg, Tufts Now (January 21, 2014)

Hunting - Animal Ethics (last accessed February 23, 2023)

Hunting has increased deer population, not reduced it - Natalie Jarnstedt, Greenwich Time (September 2, 2010)

Non-hunters should claim rights to wildlife. We pay for them. - Patricia Randolph, The Cap Times (December 7, 2014)

Solving Problems with Deer: A template conflict management and coexistence plan for white-tailed deer - Humane Society of the United States (2018)

Why culls don't work - Stop the Shoot (last accessed February 23, 2023)

Wildlife Conservation & Management Funding in the U.S. - Mark E. Smith and Donald A. Molde, Nevadans for Responsible Wildlife Management (October 2014)

Further reading

This section is still being developed.

21 Brands Fail to Keep Cage-Free Promises - Jennifer Mishler, Sentient Media (February 7, 2023)

Animal agriculture subsidies skyrocket in 2020 despite impact on climate change and health - Animal Agriculture and Climate Change (last accessed February 24, 2023)

Brazil Is Famous for Its Meat. But Vegetarianism is Soaring - Ernesto Londoño, The New York Times (March 24, 2021)

New research identifies factory farming as high-risk sector for investment - FAIRR (December 9, 2015)

USDA livestock near $50 billion, EWG analysis finds - Jared Hayes, Environmental Working Group (February 28, 2022)

"Ag-Gag" Laws: Evolution, Resurgence, and Public Health Implications - Caitlin A. Ceryes and Christopher D. Heaney, New Solutions (February 2019)

A Call to Action: Psychological Harm in Slaughterhouse Workers - Michael Lebwohl, The Yale Global Health Review (January 25, 2016)

Company hired same "known minor" twice to clean slaughterhouses, internal document shows - Laura Strickler, Julia Ainsley, and Didi Martinez, NBC News (February 23, 2023)

Confessions of a slaughterhouse worker - Anonymous, BBC (January 6, 2020)

Over 100 children illegally employed by US slaughterhouse cleaning firm - Maya Yang, The Guardian (February 17, 2023)

Slaughterhouses and Increased Crime Rates: An Empirical Analysis of the Spillover From "The Jungle" Into the Surrounding Community - Amy J. Fitzgerald, Linda Kalof, and Thomas Dietz, Organization & Environment (2009)

Transnational Organized Crime in the Fishing Industry - United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (2011)

Animals, My Brethren - Edgar Kupfer-Koberwitz, Never Again (last accessed February 23, 2023)

Decoding "Never Again" - Sherry F. Colb, Main Street Vegan Academy (last accessed February 23, 2023) (originally published in symposium People of the Book: Judaism's Influence on American Legal Scholarship)

From the Warsaw Ghetto to the Fight for Animal Rights - Alex Hershaft, Jewish Veg (August 25, 2014)

Holocaust Survivors Speak: Lessons From The Death Camps - Emily Moran Barwick, Bite Size Vegan (February 3, 2016)

Jewish survivors and family members of the victims speaking up - Never Again (last accessed February 23, 2023)

The Lesson Has Not Been Learned - Alexandra M., Never Again (last accessed February 23, 2023)

Race, Poverty, and Potential Exposure of Middle-School Students to Air Emissions from Confined Swine Feeding Operations - Maria C. Mirabelli et al., Environmental Health Perspectives (April 2006)

A siege. A bomb. 48 dogs. And the black commune that would not surrender - Ed Pilkington, The Guardian (July 31, 2018)

Why Black Americans are the fastest-growing vegan demographic in the country - Anthony Hill, ABC News (January 7, 2022)

It's Not As Simple As They Hate Women - That Better Be Vegan, Medium (May 7, 2022)

Beasts of Burden: Animal and Disability Liberation - Sunaura Taylor (The New Press, 2017)

Racism as Zoological Witchcraft: A Guide to Getting Out - Aph Ko (Lantern Books, 2019)

Deep Dive: Animal Testing and Vegan Food - David Shishkoff, Vegan Fidelity (June 24, 2022)

The US Just Greenlit High-Tech Alternatives to Animal Testing - Emily Mullin, Wired (January 11, 2023)

Scientific evidence of the harm of horseback riding (and non-harmful ways to be with horses) - Stormy May (August 24, 2016)

Further reading

Animal Sacrifices: Religious Perspectives on the Use of Animals in Science - Tom Regan (ed.) (Temple University Press, 1986)

Speciesist bias in AI: how AI applications perpetuate discrimination and unfair outcomes against animals - Thilo Hagendorff et al., AI and Ethics (August 29, 2022)

Further reading

This section is still being developed.

Animal Ethics - last accessed February 23, 2023

Animal Liberation Archive - last accessed February 23, 2023

The Animal Rights Library - edited by Pablo Stafforini (last accessed 2/12/2023)

Animal Rights: The Abolitionist Approach - Gary L. Francione (last accessed February 24, 2023)

Corey Lee Wrenn, Ph.D. - last accessed February 20, 2023

Dominion - Chris Delforce and Farm Transparency Project (March 29, 2018)

Dr. David Sztybel - last accessed February 23, 2023

Jewish Veg - last accessed February 23, 2023

Marxismus & Tierbefreiung - last accessed 2/15/2023

Never Again - last accessed February 23, 2023

Sistah Vegan Blog - A. Breeze Harper (last accessed 2/15/2023)

Species and Class Library - last accessed February 23, 2023

Speciesism: The Movie - Mark Devries (September 18, 2013)

Vegan Bootcamp - Vegan Hacktivists (last accessed February 19, 2023)

Vegan Feminist Network - edited by Corey Lee Wrenn (last accessed 2/12/2023)