Taking animal rights seriously does not only cost something. It also gives you something.
Most people think they lose something when they take animal rights seriously. It would cost more money and effort. You would also have to admit that you could have done things differently before. That is not easy, as we wrote in Why worry about animal rights?
But the other side of the scale gets little attention. Whoever takes freedom seriously as a fundamental right for animals also gains a lot. On this page we list what it gives you. Each part links to articles that go into it more deeply. |
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Inner freedom and a liberating insight
Freedom is a fundamental right for humans. Whoever thinks about whether that also applies to animals can gain a liberating insight. Just like the emancipation of people, the emancipation of animals takes place within ourselves. We can free ourselves from the arrogance that we are more than an animal.
That inner liberation is also psychological growth. How we treat animals is linked to how free we are from beliefs and habits we never questioned. We work this out in Inner freedom and our relationship with animals.
Whoever realises that eating meat is not a given but a choice, made again every day, notices that this insight alone sets something free. Seven great thinkers point in the same direction. Whoever endures the first resistance is rewarded with a clarity that makes their relationship with animals and with people freer. See What if you took your own principles seriously? |
A clear conscience
Everyone wants to live with a clear conscience. A clear conscience brings peace of mind. You can be proud of it. You no longer have to feel guilty about choices that you know affect animals. How to deal with the contradictions in those choices is discussed in Using animals does not go along with a clear conscience. |
A healthier life
Eating less meat is healthier. According to the World Health Organization, processed meat causes cancer. Red meat probably does too. Adults do not need animal products for a healthy diet. The claim that we need animal protein is not true either. Whoever eats no animal products at all does need to take vitamin B12. See Is it correct and wise to eat animals?
It is not only about your own plate. Factory farming makes people ill as well as animals. Think of bacteria that no antibiotic can kill any more. Think also of bird flu and other diseases that jump from farm animals to humans. Less factory farming is better for public health. Read Factory farming also causes illness in humans and Factory pig farming forms a danger to public health. |
A cheaper life
Eating less meat saves money. Cheap food from factory farming is expensive in other ways. Governments worldwide support farmers with about 540 billion US dollars a year, according to the FAO, UNDP and UNEP. Much of that support harms nature or health. The FAO also estimates that the world's food systems cause at least 10 trillion US dollars of hidden costs every year. The polluter does not pay those costs. Taxpayers and future generations do. See Factory farming: how did it come into existence? and Farmers produce for export: close the borders.
So eating and shopping more responsibly does not have to be more expensive. Whoever eats less meat and pays a fair price for the meat they still eat keeps the two in balance. In the longer term they gain from it. In fact, animal-friendly behaviour should be rewarded rather than punished financially. Read Make animal-friendly behavior financially attractive. |
A better living environment
Livestock farming uses more than three quarters of the world's farmland. Yet it provides less than a fifth of our calories. Forests are cut down for pasture and animal feed. Manure pollutes rivers and groundwater. Whoever uses fewer animal products leaves a healthier earth for the people and animals after us. Read On the road to a durable society. |
A fairer society
Respecting animals gives a better guarantee that human rights are respected too. Turning a blind eye to violence against animals may well make violence against people easier. The emancipation of animals is a growth of our civilisation. See Why worry about animal rights?
Our food choices also reach people and animals in the rest of the world. Part of our food and animal feed comes from far away. Erich Fromm wrote about how a healthy society comes into being when people are free to develop themselves. Read Erich Fromm about The Sane Society. |
More space and more connection
Doing something for animals is often more about not doing than doing. Not doing gives space. Whoever does not take a pet keeps more freedom in time, space and money. Whoever lets go of the attachment to animals becomes less dependent on their unconditional attention. See The fun of helping animals is beneficial and Letting go of the attachment to animals.
At the same time it brings connection. You get a more social network when you seek contact with others who also do something for animals. Whoever is sensitive to it experiences a spiritual bond with the life around us. Read also Spirituality and engagement with animals. |
What it costs at first
To be honest: sometimes you first have to invest before it gives you something. For example, learning to cook without meat at the centre of the plate. Or ignoring the lack of understanding around you.
Compare it with quitting smoking. At first it is hard, but later you do not want to go back. Depending on how realistic your goals are, the advantages soon outweigh the disadvantages. See The fun of helping animals is beneficial. |
Finally
Whoever truly accepts the Golden Rule cannot avoid the question about animals in the end. Treat others as you would like to be treated yourself. Not as an accusation, but as an invitation. Whoever accepts that invitation notices that it is not only the animals who benefit.
Want to start? Look at what you can do for animals yourself or use the signpost to read on.
Sources: IARC/WHO, red meat and processed meat (2015); FAO, UNDP and UNEP, A multi-billion-dollar opportunity (2021); FAO, Hidden costs of global agrifood systems (2023); Poore and Nemecek, Science (2018). |
