The Five Factors of Veganism
Creating & Maintaining a Compassionate Society
"He who does nothing for others does nothing for himself."
-Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
New Traditions
The three traditional paths to veganism are health, environment, and ethics. However, these don't accurately describe the true values of veganism. A vegan lifestyle is not just a way of eating or shopping; it is an ethical stance against violence towards all beings, and to truly be vegan, one must have a connection with and respect for the following five factors: humanitarianism, ecologism, animal rights, self-acceptance, and activism. Genuine veganism is completely about ethics, not being an "ethical vegan." It's about taking the values we already have and incorporating them into every facet of our life.
The Five Factors of Veganism is a set of standards for us to follow to cultivate a compassionate, thriving world. Though the examples included with each factor below are important, they are by no means the total extent of the factors. The factors include all related topics and issues, even if not specifically mentioned.
*Please note that the Five Factors is not a model of what is required to be vegan today but is a set of guidelines to help attain the ultimate goal of a "vegan world," or an ideal society that is benevolent to all living creatures and things and also encourages and emphasizes the best parts of humanity. But to achieve that kind of world, we must begin to work toward achieving these factors, both in our personal lives and as a society. We cannot sit around and wait for it to happen naturally because, unfortunately, that will never happen -- this is why factor five, activism, is essential.
1. Humanitarianism
Humanitarianism takes the place of the traditional "health" path to veganism and extends it to also include human rights. This factor emphasizes compassion towards all humans and rejects human abuse and exploitation. Additionally, healthfulness remains a fundamental aspect of humanitarianism, including both personal and public health.
Included in this factor are:
adopting a healthy plant-based diet and vegan lifestyle
rejecting fast fashion
reversing and preventing systemic racism
eliminating food deserts
empowering disadvantaged workers
eradicating sweatshops and child labor
the cessation of smoking and other drug use that contaminates the environment and poses a risk to public and personal health
creating livable wages for all humans
providing food and resources to those in need
behaving in a way that does not put the lives of others at risk, such as wearing masks during a pandemic
creating equality and respect between all genders, sexual orientations, races, ethnicities, religions, etc.
2. Ecologism
This factor would generally be called the "environmental" path to veganism. However, environmentalism connotes more of an emphasis on things in the environment instead of beings. The ecologism factor takes root in the definition of ecology as the relationship between biotic (living) and abiotic (nonliving) elements in an ecosystem. Wild and/or non-domesticated animals are emphasized in this factor, as well as fostering and maintaining healthy ecosystems. It is only when these ecosystems are threatened that humans should have the ability to intercede, as we have a moral obligation to help those at risk of harm.
Included in this factor are:
adopting a plant-based diet and vegan lifestyle
protecting wildlife and natural habitats
supporting eco-friendly companies and buying minimally packaged and processed products
encouraging zero-waste, plastic-free, and minimalist lifestyles
rejecting the exploitation of wild and exotic species used in zoos, petting zoos, aquariums, and other places
converting entirely to renewable energy
minimizing urban light and noise pollution
constructing municipal composting facilities in all areas in which garbage is collected and providing all residents with composting bins
protecting wild animals from nonhuman threats, such as natural disasters
protecting wild animals from human threats, such as habitat encroachment
rehoming invasive species and reducing the risk of the introduction of invasive species into native populations
humane overpopulation control of feral cats, stray dogs, and other animals through TNR (trap, neuter, return) practices
eliminating the use of hazardous substances and cleaning environments contaminated with them
ceasing the use of pesticides, synthetic fertilizers, and other inorganic agricultural chemicals, as well as the sale of nonnative and/or invasive plant species
slowing the rapid human population growth to preserve dwindling natural resources
3. Animal Rights
Animal rights is the central factor because it is the single most important to prevent the most suffering. Speciesism is the greatest threat to life on this planet, and it often informs how we discriminate against other groups. This factor embodies the belief that nonhuman animals deserve to be treated with respect and are due certain inherent rights: the right to live free from human interference, to have control over their own bodies, to be protected against manmade and naturally-occurring threats, and to receive medical treatment when necessary. While certain areas of this factor overlap with factor two, this is the factor that informs why we should not interfere with animals from an ethical standpoint instead of an environmental standpoint.
Included in this factor are:
adopting a plant-based diet and vegan lifestyle
the total eradication of farms, slaughterhouses, and every other industry that uses animals in any capacity other than to protect them
acknowledging all nonhuman animals as sentient persons worthy of certain basic rights
encouraging the profitability of non-animal-based products and services
eliminating the "pet" trade and the normalization of nonhuman animals living in human homes, unless those animals are being treated for an injury or if the animals have been unsuccessful in reintegrating with native populations
rejecting the use of speciesist and derogatory language and not referring to any living creatures as things or property
prohibiting the intentional capture and/or killing of animals
shutting down the illegal trade of exotic species
revising any animal-based holidays and holiday/cultural traditions
finding alternatives for animals used for research purposes
rejecting any and all use of animals for personal or financial gain
4. Self-Acceptance
Self-Acceptance is the factor completely devoted to the individual and to cultivating self-worth. While this could have fallen under humanitarianism, it is far easier to be kind to others than it is to be kind to ourselves. While humanitarianism focuses on how to be outwardly kind to humans, self-acceptance focuses on how to be inwardly kind. Often, this is the factor that promotes other factors because how we view ourselves profoundly impacts how we view and treat those around us. This factor embraces compassion towards oneself and the recognition that you as an individual are valuable and worthy.
Included in this factor are:
adopting a plant-based diet and vegan lifestyle
incorporating mental health studies into health and wellness classes at schools
improving accessibility to mental health professionals
eradicating the stigma against mental health issues and therapy
eliminating or improving jobs -- like slaughterhouse work -- that often result in stress, PTSD, and other mental health problems
5. Activism
The final factor, activism, is about encouraging others to follow the path of compassion to all (the four other factors of veganism). We do this because it is wrong to be silent when others are unjustly suffering. Activism has many forms, and this factor will be enacted in different ways for every individual. However, factorial activism must be inclusive of all five factors, and it would go against the foundation of veganism to ever promote anything less than complete compassion, such as condoning "humane meat" or propagating the "personal choice" myth.
Pyramid of Veganism
The Pyramid of Veganism is a visual representation of how I envision a vegan future can be created. Similar to Maslow's hierarchy of needs, the higher levels of the pyramid cannot fully or effectively be attained without first internalizing and normalizing the lower tiers.
The bottom level is universal rights; this is the standardization and acceptance of basic rights for all living creatures (factors one, two, and three). While this doesn't mean that all animals have equal rights, it does imply that nonhumans should be allowed to live freely without human interference and should be protected against human-caused suffering.
Next, we have healthful living, or the embodiment of self-acceptance (factor four). Healthful living embraces positive physical and mental health and encompasses all things regarding how to best benefit our personal health.
Above that is activism (factor five). We must encourage others to embrace the ideals of both universal rights and healthful living in order to move forward as a society.
If we accomplish those three, we then have a vegan society in which all beings are recognized as individuals and are protected.
Lastly, we must use reinforcement to solidify these ideals to prevent backsliding into speciesism and to imprint these beliefs onto future generations so that the world as it is now is nothing more than a dark part of history.
be conscious, be kind, be vegan
Related posts you may enjoy:
"The Importance of Self-Love in the Vegan Movement"
"Why Health Is An Important Part of Veganism"
"How to Become an Introverted Vegan Activist, Pt. 4"
"10 Ways to Celebrate Earth Day Every Day"