Philosophical Vegan Forum

Prophiscient wrote: ↑Sun Aug 25, 2019 8:00 pm While I don't like that animal testing is done, I don't consider animal tested products to be non-vegan. If a product was completely vegan but was also tested on animals, I'd still consider that product to be vegan.

I mean, this defeats the object of becoming Vegan, no?

Of course there's loads of different reasons to become vegan, but animal testing is against everything we stand for.

Traceyphillips wrote: ↑Fri Sep 20, 2019 6:04 am

Prophiscient wrote: ↑Sun Aug 25, 2019 8:00 pm While I don't like that animal testing is done, I don't consider animal tested products to be non-vegan. If a product was completely vegan but was also tested on animals, I'd still consider that product to be vegan.

I mean, this defeats the object of becoming Vegan, no?

Of course there's loads of different reasons to become vegan, but animal testing is against everything we stand for.

Everything we stand for? What would that include? And what exactly is the object of being vegan?

I don't think that 'standing' for something is a good idea. It clouds the mind with deontological thinking, and treats something (in this case veganism) as more of an ideology rather than a mechanism for doing the most good. And, at least to me, it gives off the impression that you aren't going to change your mind on a particular thing no matter what the evidence says.

Animal testing, wherever useful, is a good thing, and does not automatically render something non-vegan, especially if that thing will result in less animals being killed in the longrun. Here, it's kind of expected for the researchers to test animals so they have some idea of what the burger should taste like, so people don't get turned off from eating it.

Traceyphillips wrote: ↑Fri Sep 20, 2019 6:04 am

Prophiscient wrote: ↑Sun Aug 25, 2019 8:00 pm While I don't like that animal testing is done, I don't consider animal tested products to be non-vegan. If a product was completely vegan but was also tested on animals, I'd still consider that product to be vegan.

I mean, this defeats the object of becoming Vegan, no?

Of course there's loads of different reasons to become vegan, but animal testing is against everything we stand for.

I disagree. Buying meat, dairy, and eggs increases the demand for animal products which increases animal suffering. However, increasing the demand for products that have been tested on animals doesn't increase animal suffering as long as those products are already vegan, because animal testing is not an ongoing thing.

Therefore, while I don't think that animal testing is a good thing, I don't think vegans need to boycott animal-tested products.