I’ve only been doing activism for a relatively short period of time, but it quickly became apparent to me that it’s just the same handful of fallacies being parroted over and over. I don’t think most of the people I interact with even understand what they’re saying, they’re just repeating something that they heard. I thought to myself, instead of typing out virtually the same responses each and every time on Facebook or Instagram or Reddit discussions, why not just make a website that has my thoughts all laid out? So, I decided to take the time to properly write down my thoughts in the form of articles to address each piece of misinformation and fallacy individually. Each article expresses my own thoughts, links to scientific studies and published data (where applicable), and my best attempts to inform and educate the reader.
And because it’s me and I love memes, there are lots of memes.
You can browse the articles below, or use the search function to find articles based on specific words. If you’re using this site as a resource and you need help sharing the articles with others, I’ve put together a guide for doing so.
General Questions
There is no moral argument against veganism. None. There is no argument to be made as to why unnecessarily killing animals is more moral than leaving animals alone to live their lives. So from there all you can ask is, is being vegan more moral than not being vegan?
Probably the most common statement I see from non-vegans is “vegans kill animals too” or “what about crop deaths?” This also ties into “we don’t have enough land to support a plant based diet.”
Saying something is right because “we’ve always done it this way” is a terrible argument. That sentiment has been used to promote slavery, denying women the right to vote, preventing LGBTQIA+ people from marrying, and all sorts of other forms of discrimination.
A common fallacy I often hear is that “animals eat other animals”, using that as a justification for humans to eat animals. Or they’ll say “good luck making a lion go vegan” or “I bet you wouldn’t tell a bear not to eat an animal.”
One of my favorite arguments against veganism is that “humans are predators.” Whereas that may technically be true, and was true about humans in the past, modern day humans aren’t predators like those found in nature.
An omnivore is just an animal that is naturally able to eat both plants and meat, that’s it. An omnivore can survive and even thrive without eating meat.
The world won’t go vegan overnight. The animal agriculture industry, like all industries, works based off of supply and demand. The reduction in animals being bred for consumption would be slow and gradual over time, it would not be an over night thing.
Plants do not feel pain, they do not have feelings, they are not sentient, they do not have a brain, and they do not have a central nervous system. The fact that I even have to write this…
Animal Treatment
They castrate, cut off tails, clip teeth, burn off horns, amputate toes, and cut off part of the beaks of these animals - all without any sort of anesthesia. Additionally many of them are confined to small crates where they can't move, and the females are forcefully impregnated against their will.
Is it “compassionate or benevolent” to kill a healthy animal (that is not suffering or unhealthy) in the prime of their life that does not want to die?
Cows don’t produce milk because they’re cows. They produce milk for the same reason humans do - because they’re mothers.
At first glance, it may seem like a victimless crime, but once you learn about the egg industry and how chickens are treated, then you’ll see the harm.
Honey is an animal product just like meat, dairy, and eggs. Eating it is not vegan. I don’t care if it’s local honey from your neighbor who absolutely loves their bees and takes great care of them and doesn’t do any of the things mentioned above. It’s still an animal product, you’re still taking something from an animal that isn’t yours to take, and you’re still commodifying and exploiting an animal for your benefit. That’s what makes honey not vegan.
Food and Supplements
Veganism is acknowledged as healthy and recommended by numerous expert organizations in the dietetic and medical fields
Most vegans I know don’t take any supplements at all, or at most a plant based multivitamin or B12. But even if we did take supplements, so what? The supplement industry is a multi-billion dollar industry, and the majority of its consumers are non-vegans. So why is it a problem for vegans to take supplements but ok for non-vegans to take them?
This is a very common sentiment I see from non-vegans. The world has conditioned us to believe that protein = animal flesh and their secretions.
The argument is that since vegans are against eating meat, why do we want our food to taste like meat.
Some non-vegans don’t like that plant based meat substitutes are referred to as “vegan meat” or “plant based meat.”
77% of global soy is fed to livestock for meat and dairy production. Just 7% of soy is used directly for human food products such as tofu, soy milk, edamame beans, and tempeh. The idea that human soy-based foods are driving animal crop deaths and deforestation is a common misconception.
Veganism
This section is a bit different. I wrote these articles not to debunk anti-vegan claims, but to discuss topics within veganism
Lately it seems that people think veganism is just a diet, or at best, it’s someone who doesn’t eat any animal products and doesn’t wear leather. But what many don’t realize is that veganism is not a diet, it’s a moral and ethical philosophy that seeks to end the exploitation of animals, with a plant based diet being just one aspect of that.
The “Vegan Purity Test”, which is a form of the No true “Scotsman fallacy”, is one of the biggest causes of infighting I see within the community. We have to stop being the vegan police over everyone.