Is Veganism Socially Just?

Veganism is often advanced as a matter of morality, that is, it is represented as a more moral treatment of sentient creatures than other diets/lifestyles. This chapter examines a related, and perhaps more fundamental, moral matter, that is, veganism and social justice. Veganism is nearly always a rejection of some dominant social norms—perhaps not only carnist norms but also norms that accept other forms of exploitation, such as the objectification and suffering of others due to racism, sexism, etc. As such, being vegan becomes a political act. However, this chapter examines whether veganism may, itself, suffer from problems such as being sexist, racist, classist, ableist, colonialist, or heteronormative or being involved with cultural appropriation. A positive case is also presented: that veganism is socially just not only because it is not flawed along one of these social justice dimensions but because the health and viability of the biological entities on the planet is a social, communitarian goal. This analysis is critical for two reasons: (1) it allows a more comprehensive analysis of the moral status of veganism, particularly because behavior that is morally praiseworthy in one dimension may be morally problematic in another; (2) concerns about social justice have become increasingly important, and, as such, misperceived impediments to its adoption ought to be addressed.