obsidian/🛡️ Debate/🪶 Arguments/Vegan/Animal Rights.md

Flash's NTT Argument

Definiendum	Definiens
W	a being (x) has moral worth
N	we should exploit a being (x) to any greater degree than we would tolerate for humans
t	trait
a	animal
h	human

P1) For all things, if a being has moral worth, then we should not exploit it to any greater degree than we would tolerate for humans.
(∀x(Wx→Nx))
P2) If animals don’t have moral worth, then there exists a trait that is absent in animals such that if it were absent in humans, humans wouldn’t have moral worth.
(¬Wa→∃t(Ata→(Ath→¬Wh)))
P3) There doesn’t exist a trait that is absent in animals such that if it were absent in humans, humans wouldn’t have moral worth.
(¬∃t(Ata→(Ath→¬Wh)))
C) Therefore, we should not exploit animals to any greater degree than we would tolerate for humans.
(∴Na)

Proof Tree

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Vegan Society Definition Tho

Defineindum	Definiens
V	it is vegan to do something (x)
E	something (x) exploits animals (y)
A	a being (x) is an animal
e	eat
g	Groot

P1) For all things, it is vegan to do something if and only if that thing does not exploit animals.
(∀x(Vx↔¬Ex))
P2) If some beings are not animals, then eating those beings does not exploit animals.
(∀x∀y(¬Ax→¬E(e(y))))
P3) Groot is not an animal.
(¬Ag)
C) Therefore, it is vegan to eat Groot.
(∴V(e(g)))

Proof Tree

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Nick's Definition of Veganism

I'm currently convinced that this definition is maximally robust to counterexample. Most definitions of veganism have hilarious pitfalls that seem to tend to trip vegans up. This definition is designed to close a lot of those pitfalls without opening new ones.

A behavioural heuristic that involves avoiding that which facilitates the production of materials derived from sentient beings based on a counterfactual concern for a greater weighted sum of rights violations.

Terms:

Sentient being: an entity for whom a subjective experience can be reasonably argued, such as with vertebrate animals.

Right: an entitlement to an action, that if not performed, or an inaction, that if performed, would be bad in principle (meaning independent of utility concerns). For example, if others perform an action that deprives me of X, or fail to take an action necessary for me to have X, it would be considered wrong in principle, independent of the consequences or utility of such actions or inactions.

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Hashtags

#arguments #philosophy #propositional_logic #logic #ethics #animals #vegan