Animal suffering: problems, explanations and solutions

The gap between what we think and what we do

Most people say they do not want animals to suffer. Yet many of them eat meat from factory farms, go fishing or keep a bird in a cage. The articles on this page look at that gap between what we think and what we do.

First the problems: the causes of animal-unfriendly behaviour, the untruths that keep it going and the indifference that makes change so slow. Then the explanations: why attachment to animals can stand in the way, why using animals and a clear conscience do not go together and what lies behind the choice to become vegan. Finally the solutions: where the freedom to use animals ends and how the alternative to factory farming can be made attractive.

Our starting point is always the same: animals have a right to freedom, to behave in the natural way of their species. The complete vision is in A coherent vision on animal rights. Our standpoints in brief are in our opinions in one-liners.

Problems

• Causes of animal-unfriendly behaviour.
• Untruths that cause animal suffering.
• Children and their perception of animals.
• Indifference about the fate of animals and influencing (consumer) behaviour, how come?
• Keeping an animal dependent is wrong.
• Animals are not material for therapeutic purposes.
• The escalation ladder of avoidable aggression.

Explanations

• The attitude (eating) behaviour model behind veganism.
• Let go of too much attachment to animals.
• Types of valid and not-valid arguments for and against animal rights, factory farming, vegetarianism, animal experimentation, wild animals in a circus, seal hunting, hunting for pleasure and bullfighting.
• Fallacies that lead to animal suffering: how to recognise and respond.
• Lack of freedom, too much boredom and addiction.
• Using animals does not go along with a clear conscience.
• Freedom as a paradox and what it means for animals.
• What does respect for animals mean?

Solutions

• Drawing the line for the freedom to use animals.
• How to make the alternative to factory farming attractive?

Related

• Why should we care about animal rights?
• Which dietary habits and types of farm management are ethically acceptable?
• Animal rights or animal well-being, does it matter politically or practically?
• Ritual slaughter: there is an animal-friendly alternative.
• Our opinions summarized in propositions and one-liners.
• Compare your opinions with those of Animal Freedom.