Hello! I've met a few vegetarians on the site, but not any vegans yet. So it made sense to make a thread about vegan philosophies for whomever is interested! Feel free to ask any questions regarding veganism at all, and I'll respond with sources and my own personal experiences!

Definition of Veganism:

• Veganism is a lifestyle where, to the best of the person's ability, they exclude all forms of animal exploitation and harm. This includes dietary, entertainment, recreational, and political decisions.

Definition of a Vegan Diet:

• The abstaining from all animal products- commonly milk, eggs, honey, meat, and seafood.

[Source]

Veganism is non-religious, based purely on a combination of ethics and scientific research.

Feel free to ask any questions, no matter how silly or difficult you think they are!

I know Jainism goes a bit further than veganism. But is that a diet you had thought of in becoming vegan?

... Which mean... making commercial advertisement using animal model is a no-no too?
how about taking them in as pets?

Oh hey there, I'm vegan too! And I think you're also the first other vegan I've seen around the site, so it's a pleasure to make your acquaintance. :)

I'm happy to answer questions about veganism as well.

Longcat, I honestly don't believe I could take my lifestyle to the extreme that Jains do. As a vegan, my philosophy extends only through the kingdom animalia and thus permits exploitation of plants, fungi, and microorganisms. I have thought briefly on whether this is where I should really be drawing the distinction, but I don't obsess over it because I also recognize that I have to survive somehow. I do admire Jains, however, for their constant attention and respect for life. I do my best to maintain that respect as well.

xuvrette, using an animal in advertising for a product is what I'd consider a minor form of exploitation. You aren't causing harm to the animal necessarily, but you are exploiting it to make a profit for yourself, which is something I disagree with.

Owning pets can be animal exploitation as well. For instance, if you've purchased an animal from a pet store, then you have supported an industry which breeds animals for profit, which absolutely is exploitation. This, I believe, is much worse than using animals in advertising because it does cause harm to animals. Animal breeding by stores can lead to breeding done by pet owners (intentional or accidental), which often results in many unwanted animals that end up in shelters at best, at worst on the streets or dead. However, it's still possible to take an animal in as a pet without exploiting it. If you've rescued an animal from a shelter or off the streets, then I would say it's quite the opposite of exploitation; you're caring for and giving a home to an animal who otherwise wouldn't have one, and you're helping to combat the harm done by the pet industry.

In a nutshell, my philosophy is that people should never use other people nor animals for their own profit. It seems to line up with a typical vegan philosophy, but I do not claim to speak for all vegans! Dongle may have differing opinions to offer, and I am interested to hear them. :)

Hello, I am currently a vegetarian, but not a vegan. While I do completely see where vegans come from and how they conduct their diets, I just could not possibly do that! They are some dedicated people! I have some serious respect for vegans.

Thank you for sharing your thoughts and clarifications on veganism! I had only heard about vegan diets, not the vegan lifestyle. I agree with you that taking in a pet from, say, the pound is slightly different from buying a purebred from a breeder. I admire the people who save animals from the euthanasia list (if that's what it's called?) and give them a loving home. They're basically heroes.

Because of some documentaries we saw (Forks+Knives, Vegucated, etc.) My mother and I have recently decided to go Vegan. We went vegetarian for awhile so we could get rid of stuff in our fridge (ha ha) and have been vegan for about 2 months now! We're only mostly vegan because we still have clothes that aren't animal friendly, but we don't think we have too much. Since we started, I've noticed that I have more energy to do things and I've even lost weight! Transitioning wasn't as hard as I thought either. Even though we have to travel farther somewhat in order to get vegan food that isn't just fruits and vegetables at a supermarket, its worth it because there are some substitutes that are delicious! I never thought I would love soy milk so much and even soy starbucks is better than regular starbucks in my opinion!
The only downside has been society. Like I said, we do have to travel to get special vegan food and it's hard sometimes because of financial reasons. I really wish they would have more than one Trader Joes in my city that's closer to my home. Also, I was surprised by the reaction from people I know. I was so excited that I posted on facebook I was going vegan and I thought I would get praise (for some reason) that I would do something wonderful that helped the world, but instead I was questioned constantly, everyone had their own opinion of what I should and shouldn't eat when they weren't even vegan themselves, and doubt that I could even do it in the first place.
So in a sense, going vegan isn't really that hard, it's society that makes it harder than it should be, but I learned there are programs and people out there who will help in any way that they can and it made me feel better.