An Exploration of the Mindset of a Compassionate Vegan Ethic

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About a month ago, ethologist and author Jordi Casamitjana asked me if he could interview me about my ethological (animal behavior) research and my journey into veganism. I agreed, and as I read his book Ethical Vegan: A Personal and Political Journey to Change the World, I came to realize that it is an excellent introduction to the broad meaning of a non-speciesist, nonviolent, compassionate vegan ethic that touches on numerous aspects of how we choose to live in addition to our meal plans and who we choose to eat. In fact, plant-based diets and lifestyles are gaining popularity, and not only are they urgent, but they’re also user-friendly and simple to follow.

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Carefully watching animals—Jordi focusing on insects and my studying mostly mammals—offers a window into who they are as members of vastly different species and also what they want and need from us so that we all can compassionately coexist in an increasingly human-dominated world.^1,2 It isn’t a radical view but rather one that benefits other animals and us at the same time. Here is what Jordi had to say about the broad positive impact of adopting the mindset and coherent philosophical beliefs of an eclectic vegan ethic.

Why did you write Ethical Vegan?

The trigger that made me write the book was my two-year litigation that led to ethical veganism being recognized as a protected philosophical belief under the Equality Act 2010 in Great Britain. After I won, a publisher approached me, asking me to write a book about “how I did it.” For a long time, I wanted to write books on veganism about the history of veganism, its philosophical dimensions, the anthropology of vegans, and the vegan world of the future.

Source: Jordi Casamitjana/Keenan/Used with permission

How does your latest book relate to your background and general areas of interest?

Ethical Vegan tells three intertwined stories: the story of my legal case, the story of veganism, and the story of my life as the ethical vegan I became. The autobiographical nature of the first and third stories extensively covers my background. However, the fact that I am also a zoologist clearly shows in my approach to several chapters of the book.

For instance, it can be seen when I discuss how I believe that ahimsa (“non-violence”), one of the main axioms of the philosophy of veganism, is biological in nature. Since veganism is my current main area of interest, this forms an integral structural part of the entire book, but my interest in animals of all species can also be seen scattered all around it with stories of several animal encounters I had throughout my life.

Who do you hope to reach with your interesting and important book?

I wrote the book with a diverse audience in mind. Firstly, well-established vegans who perhaps have not read that much about veganism and would like to consolidate their philosophy by learning about its foundations. Secondly, pre-vegans or new vegans who are still not sure about how to manifest this philosophy. Thirdly, those people who followed my legal case from the press and want to know more. And, finally, people interested in sociology, political theory, philosophy, anthropology, and psychology will be able to dig deeper into this philosophy, which leads to an increasingly popular lifestyle and to a transformative socio-political movement.

What are some of the major topics you consider?

What it means to be a vegan is the main subject of this book. Contrary to what many people believe, veganism is not a diet. It’s a philosophy that seeks to exclude all forms of animal exploitation, not just those related to food. Although it’s a millenarian philosophy, since the 1940s, it has also become a socio-political movement aimed at building the vegan world of the future. People enter this philosophy via several gateways (animals, the environment, spirituality, social justice, and health) and then manifest it in different ways depending on their circumstances.

When digging deeper into the subject, I discuss various concepts such as animal sentience, speciesism, the environmental approach of veganism, the blood footprint, and ahimsa (a Sanskrit word meaning “do no harm”). I also consider the difference between an ethical vegan and other types of vegans, as well as analyze the types of non-vegans who co-exist with us. Additionally, I discuss many of the grey areas of veganism, showing how I approach them, as well as controversial topics not all vegans agree on, such as how to deal with wild animal suffering and rewilding.

How does your book differ from others that are concerned with some of the same general topics?

One of the things that could make my book unique in its field is its narrative structure. By intertwining three stories without giving clues about when each will be continued, the readers will have to absorb them even if they are only interested in one. Rather than an academic format, I opted for a storytelling format, replicating more of a conversational style than a lecture, and because of this, I believe it is quite an accessible book that almost reads as fiction. This is also the only book I know that deals with all the types of vegans there are and that goes into detail about the history of veganism.

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Are you hopeful that as people learn more about this topic, they will come to realize that veganism is not radical?

As a vegan helping to build the vegan world we dream about, I am hoping that my book will not only encourage more people to adopt this philosophy that could save the planet and all its inhabitants but will also make those already holding it “vegans for life,” consolidating their beliefs. I also hope people will understand how veganism, far from being extreme, is the ultimate solution to most of our current global crises, and it’s the unrivaled top ethical choice for anyone who cares about others.