Millions of animals are brought into existence and raised for food every year. This has generated three serious problems: first, intensive animal farming is one of the leading causes of environmental degradation. Farming livestock contributes to a large amount of greenhouse gases to the atmosphere each year; it contributes to land and water degradation, biodiversity loss, coral reef degeneration, and deforestation. Second, raising animals for food causes millions of animals to suffer and be killed. And third, consumption of meat and animal products is linked with heart disease, diabetes, and various cancers. Consequently, a global change in the way that animals are treated is imperative. Many moral philosophers have suggested a move toward vegetarianism. But vegetarianism, unfortunately, still relies on raising animals for food, and does not avoid the deleterious effects of animal products on human health. The right solution is ethical veganism, which is the avoidance of all animal products and by-products. Some moral philosophers have framed ethical veganism in terms of animals having the same fundamental rights as humans, a notion that is highly controversial. In any case, the view that animals have rights is not capable of generating the moral duty to embrace ethical veganism. The answer is to adopt a virtue-oriented approach to the treatment of animals because the acquisition of virtues, such as compassion, magnanimity, temperance, and fairness enable people to see that raising and using animals for food is unfair, callous, and self-indulgent.
Carlo Alvaro teaches philosophy at New York City College of Technology of the City University of New York and at St. Francis College.
Preface Acknowledgments Introduction Chapter 1: Kant, Animals, and Indirect Moral Duty Kant, Marginal Cases, and Animals What's Wrong with the Indirect Duty View? Two Neo-Kantian Views Chapter 2: Utilitarianism: All that is Gold does not Glitter Some basic Tenets of Utilitarianism Utilitarianism = Vegetarianism? Conclusion Chapter 3: Eating People and Eating Animals Utilitarians and Animals Eating Animals and People Marginal Cases Conclusion Chapter 4: A New Horizon: Virtue Ethics On Morality and the Discipline of Non-Aretaic Authorities What is Virtue Ethics? The Virtue Approach The Components of VE More Objections Chapter 5: What about Our Treatment of Animals? The Scope of Virtue Animal Ethics Needs Virtue Chapter 6: Veganism as a Virtue Embracing Virtue Some Tenets of Virtue Ethics Four Important Virtues: temperance, compassion, fairness, and greatness of the soul Eating Meat and the Destruction of the Environment Conclusion Chapter 7: Some Objections Being Vegans is not for everyone Where Do We Draw the Line? Plants Suffer Too Eating Meat is an Enjoyable Experience Eating animals is natural Animals Eat Other Animals What about Tradition? Religion Allows Meat Eating Meat is Healthful Chapter 8: Awareness: What we do to Animals Awareness Should We Become All Vegans? The Link between Virtue and Veganism Reaching People in Non-Manipulative Ways Chapter 9: Ethical Veganism's Beef with Cultured Meat Virtue and Objections Ethical Veganism and Lab-Grown Meat Abortion and Meat Conclusion Bibliography
In Ethical Veganism, Carlo Alvaro makes a valiant and convincing argument to replace deontological and utilitarian moral theories regarding animal rights with, instead, virtue ethics. The writing is clear, lucid, and engaging. In fact, I read the book in a matter of days, finding it hard to put down. . . . a shining example of applied ethics and environmental philosophy. * Journal of Agricultural and Environmental Ethics * One of the best features of this book is that it offers very helpful summaries and references to scientific literature in favor of vegetarian and/or vegan diets, which Alvaro helpfully interprets in light of the virtues of temperance and compassion. Throughout the book Alvaro exhibits an admirable intellectual honesty by stating possible criticisms of his views and he responds to such criticisms in a fair manner. Another strength of the book is its thought-provoking treatment of cultured meat grown in laboratories that does not involve animal suffering (or at least involves less suffering than occurs at present in the meat industry). Alvaro rightly wonders whether developing cultured meat is analogous to reinstituting slavery without the suffering. Overall I think this is a very good book that is essential reading for two types of reader: those who are interested in the case for veganism (in contrast to both meat-eating and vegetarianism) and those who are interested in virtue ethics. * Journal of Animal Ethics *
