I agree. Maybe we can just say that veganism focuses on the wrong behavior? In addition to donating, I think voting can be more important than your individual diet. Many animal advocacy or rights organizations seem to recognize this, and refer to animal advocatesor animal rights advocates to be more inclusive. They certainly do this for events where they seek to attract a lot of people, like animal rights marches. But for sure, veganism continues to be emphasized too much.
I also agree that the definition given in the post doesn’t reflect popular usage, which is probably something like:
Vegans avoid causing harm to animals, and so avoid purchasing or consuming animal products.
This doesn’t seem particularly maximizing. The first part reflects the moral commitment, and yes it’s possible to be perfectionist about it, but it’s not fundamentally. The second part demands evidence of that moral commitment, and it’s also far from maximizing, since not consuming animal products is very achievable for most people. So, as long as this definition is interpreted in a reasonable way, it doesn’t seem particularly maximalist.
I agree. Maybe we can just say that veganism focuses on the wrong behavior? In addition to donating, I think voting can be more important than your individual diet. Many animal advocacy or rights organizations seem to recognize this, and refer to animal advocates or animal rights advocates to be more inclusive. They certainly do this for events where they seek to attract a lot of people, like animal rights marches. But for sure, veganism continues to be emphasized too much.
I also agree that the definition given in the post doesn’t reflect popular usage, which is probably something like:
Vegans avoid causing harm to animals, and so avoid purchasing or consuming animal products.
This doesn’t seem particularly maximizing. The first part reflects the moral commitment, and yes it’s possible to be perfectionist about it, but it’s not fundamentally. The second part demands evidence of that moral commitment, and it’s also far from maximizing, since not consuming animal products is very achievable for most people. So, as long as this definition is interpreted in a reasonable way, it doesn’t seem particularly maximalist.