ABSTRACT
As many as 70 billion farmed animals (including birds, pigs, cows, goats, and sheep, but excluding marine animals) are raised and killed each year for food. Especially when “factory farmed,” most of these animals lead short and miserable lives and are subjected to pain, stress, anxiety, and boredom on a daily basis. While many people may deem it important to improve the living (and dying) conditions of these animals, the animal rights or animal protection movement wants to abolish the use of animals for human consumption altogether. If this movement wants to achieve its objective of abolition, a highly idealistic “go vegan for the animals” approach will not be sufficient. Given the extreme dependency on the use of animal products today, I suggest that the animal protection movement requires a lot more pragmatism. A pragmatic approach includes asking for reduction of animal products consumption, using non-moral arguments to motivate people, investing in creating an environment that facilitates change, and creating a larger tent.
