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On Bivalves

       There is occasional debate within the vegan community about whether it is morally permissible to consume bivalves, whether doing so is consistent with the idea of veganism, and whether you should call yourself "vegan" if you do. The stance that eating bivalves is consistent with the ethical stance of veganism is sometimes called "ostroveganism" or "bivalveganism," however some people who do this just refer to themselves as "vegan," not seeing the need for a separate label when they see bivalves as consistent with veganism. This idea is relatively controversial, and it appears that most vegans are opposed to this. That said, I wanted to write a bit about the issue, and my argument for the consumption of bivalves will largely be negative utilitarian in nature.  On the Sentience, or Lack Thereof, of Bivalves        Firstly, I would encourage any reader to check out  "On the Consumption of Bivalves"  by David Cascio published on ...
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Veganism and Right Wing Ideology

       While most vegans are on the left, their exists conservatives and others on the political right who are vegan. This post will simply highlight some of them and arguments/perspectives that these people have.  Conservatism and Veganism        In regard to conservatives and conservatism, there are groups such as the  The Vegan Conservatives in the UK  who promote both veganism and conservatism. There are also Christians whose veganism is informed by their spiritual and ethical beliefs, such as the  The Seventh Day Adventists , and even some Catholics as well (see  1 , 2 , 3,  and  4 for examples). Christian beliefs, including those of the Seventh Day Adventists, tend to be socially conservative, such as being opposed to abortion, looking favorably upon traditional gender roles, etc.        A staunchly pro-life conservative could come to the conclusion that, in order to be ethically consis...
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On Veganism and Its Scope

 In this post, I will attempt to identify the scope of veganism, meaning what is encompassed within the concept vs what is not. If we look at the Vegan Society  definition of veganism, which seems to be the most widely cited: "Veganism is a philosophy and way of living which seeks to exclude—as far as is possible and practicable—all forms of exploitation of, and cruelty to, animals for food, clothing or any other purpose; and by extension, promotes the development and use of animal-free alternatives for the benefit of animals, humans and the environment. In dietary terms it denotes the practice of dispensing with all products derived wholly or partly from animals." We see that a distinction is made between humans and animals. We see this in the line: "promotes the development and use of animal-free alternatives for the benefit of animals, humans and the environment," where they refer to humans and animals seperately. We can also see that in the beginning of the veg...
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