Antispeciesism and sentientism
Veganism is one consequence of a broader criterion: what matters morally is the capacity to be harmed or benefited.
OverviewThe state of the art in animal ethics
Since 1975, animal ethics has been tested on ever harder cases, by authors from schools that disagree with each other, and has reached the same rejection of speciesism.
Ethical questionWild animal suffering
Hunger, disease and predation were not caused by us. But if sentience is what matters, this suffering cannot be dismissed just because it is natural.
PossibilitySentience in AI and robots
No current system is recognized as sentient. But the possibility is not absurd, and the criterion does not depend on what a being is made of.
DebateThe definition of veganism, debated
What defines veganism: refusing the exploitation of animals, or refusing everything of animal origin? The question has come back strongly with cultivated meat and precision fermentation.
PossibilitySentience in extraterrestrial beings
There is no evidence of life beyond Earth, let alone sentient life. The question tests whether our criterion is really a criterion, or just a preference for our own species.