The Banality of Evil is a phrase coined by Hannah Arendt, one of the most influential political philosophers and historians of the 20th century. Arendt argues that Adolf Eichmann, a key figure in the Nazi Party and participant in enabling the Holocaust, was not psychotic or particularly anti-semitic in his personal beliefs.If the empirical claim that many meat eaters know that animal agriculture is unethical but fail to become vegan due to weak appeals to culture, comfort and convenience, those who eat meat should be seen through the same lens as those who participated in the Holocaust without any particular ideological motivation.

The 2022 United Nations Emissions Gap Report states that “there is no credible pathway to 1.5°C in place.” Each individual must have an equal right to use an equal share of resources and contribute their share of pollution if we are to create a just society. The actions needed might seem like drastic action but is insignificant when these actions hinder lifting billions out of poverty and suffering in a sustainable manner.

Agriculture can be a powerful force for good. It alleviates hunger, provides jobs and allows for productive, healthy individuals and societies. Despite the positives it brings, agriculture also undeniably negatively affects the planet. The challenge is to reduce this impact to the minimum possible whilst meeting nutritional demands sustainably and equitably.

The legal end goal of veganism is to make illegal practices which unnecessarily harm, exploit and kill sentient, non-human animals. Where vegan alternatives are available, this is almost always an ‘opt-in’ system. By switching the standard option to vegan meals, the standard benefits animal liberation, health, the environment, costs and inclusivity.

The belief in animal liberation is the lowest common denominator that all vegans share. Yet rather than coming together to advance the political objective of animal liberation, vegans spend far too much time arguing about philosophical nuances which are irrelevant to the cause. Vegans must argue for veganism itself, rather than for veganism backed by a particular normative or meta-ethical theory.

Your genetics and your socio-economic background are nothing more than chance. You might be a privileged person or an oppressed person. Your task is to distribute resources in a way so that you would be happy to born as anyone in the world. There is possibility that we are born as a different species and it is therefore our obligation to defend their rights.

Speciesism is a word which has only recently entered mainstream ethical discussions. Speciesism is the philosophical belief that humans are inherently superior to non-human animals. The eradication of philosophical speciesism is a natural extension from the eradication of other social ills such as racism, sexism, homophobia and transphobia. Both the theoretical and practical eradication of speciesism can be found in veganism.