Animal Rights: The Abolitionist Approach Commentary

Dear Friends: Here is a podcast that Anna Charlton and I did on an easy way to start a conversation about veganism. ********** If you are not vegan, please go vegan. Veganism is about nonviolence. First and foremost, it’s about nonviolence to other sentient beings. But it’s also about nonviolence to the earth and nonviolence […] Related posts: Abolitionist Approach Podcast: On Anthony Bourdain, Veganism, and Bad Behavior by Some “Animal People” Abolitionist Approach Podcast: On the Misuse of “Abolition” Thought of the Day: A Very Brief Introduction to the Abolitionist Approach to Animal Rights Thought of the Day: Abolitionist Veganism and Arguments About Health Webinar: Abolitionist Vegan Advocacy: 2017

Dear Friends: Here is a podcast that Anna and I did on the misuse of “Abolition”. ********** If you are not vegan, please go vegan. Veganism is about nonviolence. First and foremost, it’s about nonviolence to other sentient beings. But it’s also about nonviolence to the earth and nonviolence to yourself. If animals matter morally, […] Related posts: Abolitionist Approach Podcast: On Anthony Bourdain, Veganism, and Bad Behavior by Some “Animal People” Thought of the Day: A Very Brief Introduction to the Abolitionist Approach to Animal Rights Commentary #18: A Step Backward, the Importance of Veganism, and the Misuse of “Abolition” Upcoming Abolitionist Approach Podcast on Effective Animal Rights Advocacy: A Preview Thought of the Day: Abolitionist Veganism and Arguments About Health

Dear Friends: Here is a podcast that Anna and I did on Anthony Bourdain. I was sitting too far away from the device. The dogs were walking around the room. We will do better! ********** If you are not vegan, please go vegan. Veganism is about nonviolence. First and foremost, it’s about nonviolence to other […] Related posts: Abolitionist Approach Podcast: On the Misuse of “Abolition” Thought of the Day: A Very Brief Introduction to the Abolitionist Approach to Animal Rights Thought of the Day: Abolitionist Veganism and Arguments About Health Thought of the Day: Meatless Monday–A Very Bad Idea Upcoming Abolitionist Approach Podcast on Effective Animal Rights Advocacy: A Preview

In this Commentary, Anna Charlton and I discuss educating yourself so that you can educate others and the importance of doing education/advocacy in your community; the idea that vegan advocacy represents an attempt to “force” people to go vegan; and the idea that animal ethics is a matter of “choice” and not moral obligation. It’s […] Related posts: Abolitionist Vegan Advocacy/Education Tips: On Health Commentary #4: Follow-Up to “Pets” Commentary: Non-Vegan Cats Commentary #23: Lennox and Moral Reasoning in Animal Rights Making a Vegan Education Kiosk Video of Rutgers Conference: “Animal Ethics: Abolition, Regulation, or Citizenship?”

It’s been a while since I did a Commentary and I have been meaning to start up again but, alas, it’s been a busy time. I was planning to do a podcast on the topic of my essay, Moral Concern, Moral Impulse, and Logical Argument in Animal Rights Advocacy, which I published in May and […] Related posts: The Legacy of Lennox Commentary #21: “The Animal Rights Debate,” the Abolitionist Approach Discussion Forum, and a Response to Nicolette Hahn Niman Commentary #4: Follow-Up to “Pets” Commentary: Non-Vegan Cats Commentary: Vegan Education/Advocacy, “Forcing” Others to Go Vegan, and Animal Ethics as Involving Obligation and Not Choice Commentary #9: Using Sexism to Promote Animal Rights

Dear Colleagues: My most recent book, The Animal Rights Debate: Abolition or Regulation?, involves a debate between me and Professor Robert Garner of the University of Leicester. In this Commentary, Professor Garner and I discuss our book. Garner’s position, although a form of what I call “new welfarism,” is different from that of Singer and […] Related posts: Commentary #21: “The Animal Rights Debate,” the Abolitionist Approach Discussion Forum, and a Response to Nicolette Hahn Niman Commentary #8: A Discussion of Abolitionist Principles Commentary #11: Discussion with Professor Gary Steiner Commentary #17: Discussion with Ronnie Lee and Roger Yates Upcoming Debate: Abolition vs. Regulation

Dear Colleagues: In this Commentary, I discuss three issues. First, I talk about my new book, The Animal Rights Debate: Abolition or Regulation?, co-authored with Professor Robert Garner, and published by Columbia University Press. This book focuses on the debate ongoing in the animal advocacy community: should we pursue welfare reform as a means to […] Related posts: Commentary #8: A Discussion of Abolitionist Principles Commentary #17: Discussion with Ronnie Lee and Roger Yates Commentary #16: Responding to Questions: Single-Issue Campaigns and MDA Opposition to the Abolitionist Approach OUR NEW BOOK: “Animal Rights: The Abolitionist Approach” Upcoming Abolitionist Approach Podcast on Effective Animal Rights Advocacy: A Preview

Dear Colleagues: In this Commentary, I address a topic that I have been asked to cover by a number of you: how do we talk with non-vegans about veganism? I present five general principles: Principle #1: People are good at heart. Our default position when we talk with people ought to be that they are […] Related posts: Commentary #8: A Discussion of Abolitionist Principles Commentary #18: A Step Backward, the Importance of Veganism, and the Misuse of “Abolition” Commentary #1: Vegetarianism as a “Gateway” to Veganism? Commentary #4: Follow-Up to “Pets” Commentary: Non-Vegan Cats Commentary #6: Aspects of the Vegetarian/Vegan Debate

Dear Colleagues: In this Commentary, I discuss several topics: First, I talk about the announcement by the new welfarist Mercy for Animals that the retail giant Costco has taken a “step forward” by agreeing to market “humane” veal. I maintain that having animal advocates praise this as a “step forward” and characterizing the issue of […] Related posts: Commentary #1: Vegetarianism as a “Gateway” to Veganism? Abolitionist Approach Podcast: On the Misuse of “Abolition” Commentary #4: Follow-Up to “Pets” Commentary: Non-Vegan Cats Commentary #22: A Discussion on Abolition vs. Regulation with Robert Garner Commentary #19: Talking With Non-Vegans About Veganism: Five Principles

Dear Colleagues: In this Commentary, I have two guests: Ronnie Lee, who founded the Band of Mercy in 1972 and the Animal Liberation Front in 1976, and Roger Yates, an adjunct lecturer in sociology at University College, Dublin. As I am sure you are aware, I am opposed to all violence and I do not […] Related posts: Commentary #21: “The Animal Rights Debate,” the Abolitionist Approach Discussion Forum, and a Response to Nicolette Hahn Niman Commentary #11: Discussion with Professor Gary Steiner Commentary #8: A Discussion of Abolitionist Principles Commentary #22: A Discussion on Abolition vs. Regulation with Robert Garner Commentary #4: Follow-Up to “Pets” Commentary: Non-Vegan Cats

Dear Colleagues: Several weeks ago, I asked for questions that people would like me to address. I received approximately 80 questions. I plan to do several Commentaries in which I discuss at least some of these questions. A number of the questions that I received concern single-issue campaigns so this Commentary deals primarily with that […] Related posts: On Johnny Weir, Single-Issue Campaigns, Treatment, and Abolitionist Veganism Commentary #21: “The Animal Rights Debate,” the Abolitionist Approach Discussion Forum, and a Response to Nicolette Hahn Niman Single-Issue Campaigns in Human & Nonhuman Contexts Welfare Reform Campaigns, Single-Issue Campaigns, and Animal Exploitation: Perfect Together Why Welfare Reform Campaigns and Single-Issue Campaigns Necessarily Promote Animal Exploitation

Dear Colleagues: Victor Schonfeld, director of the influential 1982 film, The Animals Film, followed up his two-part BBC World Service program, One Planet: Animals and Us, with an editorial, The Five Fatal Flaws of Animal Activism, in the Guardian, one of the leading U.K. newspapers. Schonfeld once again made clear that the mainstream movement had […] Related posts: Commentary #13: Analysis of First Segment of “Animals and Us” Commentary #14: Analysis of Second Segment of “Animals and Us” Commentary #11: Discussion with Professor Gary Steiner Victor Schonfeld: “The Five Fatal Flaws of Animal Activism” Reminder: BBC World Service Documentary: “Animals and Us”

Dear Colleagues: The second segment of the BBC’s One Planet: Animals and Us, hosted by Victor Schonfeld (who did the influential The Animals Film in 1982), focused on vivisection. Schonfeld ended the program by agreeing that the animal rights movement needs crystal clear guidelines and he explored veganism as a possible way to deal with […] Related posts: Commentary #13: Analysis of First Segment of “Animals and Us” BBC World Service Program “Animals and Us” Ends on a Vegan Note! Commentary #17: Discussion with Ronnie Lee and Roger Yates Commentary #15: The Tide Is Turning Reminder: BBC World Service Documentary: “Animals and Us”

Dear Colleagues: On December 31, 2009, the BBC World Service broadcast the first segment of the two-part program One Planet: Animals and Us. This program was hosted by Victor Schonfeld, who did the highly influential The Animals Film in 1982. The Animals Film was among the first—if not the first—film to reveal how humans actually […] Related posts: Commentary #14: Analysis of Second Segment of “Animals and Us” BBC World Service Program “Animals and Us” Ends on a Vegan Note! Commentary #15: The Tide Is Turning Commentary #17: Discussion with Ronnie Lee and Roger Yates BBC World Service to Do 2-Part Program on Animals and Animal Movement

Dear Colleagues: In this commentary, I discuss the virtual billboard campaign, which focuses on empowering advocates with a positive message that change is possible and that we have the responsibility to effect that change. It is time to reject the vegan bashing that has become the central focus of the welfarist movement. And I introduce […] Related posts: Our Virtual Billboard: “THE WORLD IS VEGAN! If you want it.” A Note About Our Virtual Billboard Designs for the Virtual Billboard Commentary #10: World Vegan Day—Nov. 1, 2009 Commentary #4: Follow-Up to “Pets” Commentary: Non-Vegan Cats

Dear Colleagues: In this, Commentary #11, I have a discussion with Gary Steiner, Professor of Philosophy and Chair of the Philosophy Department at Bucknell University. Gary recently had an editorial in the New York Times about veganism and we talk about the reactions that he got to his editorial, including the criticisms from welfarists, many […] Related posts: Commentary #8: A Discussion of Abolitionist Principles Commentary #21: “The Animal Rights Debate,” the Abolitionist Approach Discussion Forum, and a Response to Nicolette Hahn Niman Commentary #22: A Discussion on Abolition vs. Regulation with Robert Garner Commentary #17: Discussion with Ronnie Lee and Roger Yates Commentary #4: Follow-Up to “Pets” Commentary: Non-Vegan Cats

Dear Colleagues: Happy World Vegan Day to all of you. In this Commentary, I reflect on the state of the vegan movement. The bad news: the large welfare corporations have done a great deal to marginalize veganism. The good news: in the past year, we have seen the growth of the abolitionist movement, which views […] Related posts: Commentary #12: The Virtual Billboard Campaign: THE WORLD IS VEGAN! If you want it. Commentary #4: Follow-Up to “Pets” Commentary: Non-Vegan Cats Commentary: Vegan Education/Advocacy, “Forcing” Others to Go Vegan, and Animal Ethics as Involving Obligation and Not Choice Commentary #6: Aspects of the Vegetarian/Vegan Debate The Meaning of “THE WORLD IS VEGAN! If you want it.”

Dear Colleagues: Would Martin Luther King have had an “I’d Rather Go Naked than Sit in the Back of the Bus” campaign? Of course not. He would have recognized that such a campaign would trivialize the important message of civil rights. Why don’t animal advocates recognize that sexist campaigns similarly trivialize the issue of animal […] Related posts: Commentary #4: Follow-Up to “Pets” Commentary: Non-Vegan Cats Commentary #23: Lennox and Moral Reasoning in Animal Rights Commentary #6: Aspects of the Vegetarian/Vegan Debate Commentary #21: “The Animal Rights Debate,” the Abolitionist Approach Discussion Forum, and a Response to Nicolette Hahn Niman Commentary #16: Responding to Questions: Single-Issue Campaigns and MDA Opposition to the Abolitionist Approach

Dear Colleagues: There are some advocates who claim to be abolitionists but who support welfare reform or who support violence. In this Commentary, I explain why welfare reform and violence cannot fit into the abolitionist approach. Gary L. Francione ©2009 Gary L. Francione Related posts: Commentary #17: Discussion with Ronnie Lee and Roger Yates Commentary #11: Discussion with Professor Gary Steiner Commentary #21: “The Animal Rights Debate,” the Abolitionist Approach Discussion Forum, and a Response to Nicolette Hahn Niman Commentary #4: Follow-Up to “Pets” Commentary: Non-Vegan Cats Commentary #16: Responding to Questions: Single-Issue Campaigns and MDA Opposition to the Abolitionist Approach

Dear Colleagues: I refer to the delusional and confused way that we think about animals as a social/moral matter as constituting “moral schizophrenia.” I had a recent encounter with moral schizophrenia in dealing with a deer who had been hit by a car and the hunters who stopped to help the deer. In this Commentary, […] Related posts: A Note on Moral Schizophrenia Yet Another Example of Moral Schizophrenia Commentary #4: Follow-Up to “Pets” Commentary: Non-Vegan Cats A Classic of “Moral Schizophrenia” Commentary #1: Vegetarianism as a “Gateway” to Veganism?

Dear Colleagues: Our first Commentary about vegetarianism as a “gateway” to veganism has provoked continuing controversy and in this Commentary, I address three issues: 1. Does my position that we cannot draw a moral distinction between flesh and other animal products mean that we ought to be confrontational or judgmental when we talk to people […] Related posts: Commentary #4: Follow-Up to “Pets” Commentary: Non-Vegan Cats Commentary: Vegan Education/Advocacy, “Forcing” Others to Go Vegan, and Animal Ethics as Involving Obligation and Not Choice Commentary #21: “The Animal Rights Debate,” the Abolitionist Approach Discussion Forum, and a Response to Nicolette Hahn Niman Commentary #10: World Vegan Day—Nov. 1, 2009 Commentary #12: The Virtual Billboard Campaign: THE WORLD IS VEGAN! If you want it.

Dear Colleagues: I am opposed to violence. I regard violence as inherently immoral. I have written about and discussed that issue often, including in essays (1,2) on this site. I recognize that many of you disagree with my opposition to violence. But that is irrelevant. Even if you believe that violence can be justified, there […] Related posts: On Violence More on Violence and Animal Rights Commentary #1: Vegetarianism as a “Gateway” to Veganism? It Makes the Mind Boggle On Vivisection and Violence

Dear Colleagues: A number of people have written to me in response to the Commentary on “pets” to ask about the issue of non-vegan cats. It is my understanding that many cats can live healthy lives on a vegan diet but what if there are cats who absolutely need to consume animal products? In this […] Related posts: Commentary #2: “Pets” Commentary #6: Aspects of the Vegetarian/Vegan Debate “Pets”: The Inherent Problems of Domestication Commentary #12: The Virtual Billboard Campaign: THE WORLD IS VEGAN! If you want it. Commentary #10: World Vegan Day—Nov. 1, 2009

Dear Colleagues: As you know, I have since 2007 been wondering about why anyone thinks that Michael Vick is any worse than anyone else who consumes or uses animal products. (See 1, 2, 3) In any event, Vick was released from prison in May, 2009, and on July 27, 2009, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell conditionally […] Related posts: A Note About Michael Vick The Santería Case: Michael Vick, Part 2 Truthout.org: Thinking About Mitt Romney and Seamus, Michael Vick and Dog Fighting, and Eating Animals Mary Bale, Michael Vick, and Moral Schizophrenia Moral Schizophrenia: Alastair Graham, the “Michael Vick” of Scotland

Dear Colleagues: The issue of “pets” is a hot button issue with many advocates. Here is something I wrote in the Appendix to my book Introduction to Animal Rights: Your Child or the Dog?: Question 3: Does the institution of pet ownership violate animals’ basic right not to be regarded as things? Answer: Yes. Pets […] Related posts: Commentary #4: Follow-Up to “Pets” Commentary: Non-Vegan Cats “Pets”: The Inherent Problems of Domestication Commentary #21: “The Animal Rights Debate,” the Abolitionist Approach Discussion Forum, and a Response to Nicolette Hahn Niman Commentary #1: Vegetarianism as a “Gateway” to Veganism? Commentary #22: A Discussion on Abolition vs. Regulation with Robert Garner

Dear Colleagues: Welcome to the Abolitionist Approach Commentary. The Commentary will consist of a series of podcasts that discuss and explore various aspects of the idea that we ought to abolish, and not merely regulate, animal exploitation. The Commentary will reflect ideas contained in this website and in my books. Animals are nonhuman persons and […] Related posts: Some Comments on Vegetarianism as a “Gateway” to Veganism Commentary #18: A Step Backward, the Importance of Veganism, and the Misuse of “Abolition” Commentary #4: Follow-Up to “Pets” Commentary: Non-Vegan Cats Commentary #6: Aspects of the Vegetarian/Vegan Debate Commentary #19: Talking With Non-Vegans About Veganism: Five Principles