On the signaling value of vegetarianism/veganism, this recent post by Holly Elmore is relevant:
We all hate virtue signaling, right? Even “virtue” itself has taken on a negative connotation. When we’re too preoccupied with how we appear to others, or even too preoccupied with being virtuous, it makes us inflexible and puts us out of touch with our real values and goals.
But I believe the pendulum has swung too far. I don’t care to defend empty “cheap talk” signals, but the best virtue signals offer some proof of their claim by being difficult to fake. Maybe, like being vegan, they take a great deal of forethought, awareness, and require regular social sacrifices. Being vegan proves dedication to a cause like animal rights or environmentalism proportional to the level of sacrifice required. The virtuous sacrifice of being vegan isn’t what makes veganism good for the animals or the environment, but it is a costly signal of character traits associated with the ability to make such a sacrifice, which may include commitment, being deeply bought into the cause such that the sacrifice becomes easier than it would be for other people, conscientiousness, gentleness, etc. Out of your commitment to doing the most good possible, you may notice that veganismisn’t actually the best way to help animals for a lot of people. I believe this represents a step forward for helping animals, but one problem is that now it’s much easier to hide lack of virtuous character traits from measurement. It’s harder to know where the lines are or how to track the character of the people you may one day have to decide to trust or not to trust, and it’s harder to be accountable to yourself.
On the signaling value of vegetarianism/veganism, this recent post by Holly Elmore is relevant: