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Do you mean "are they suitable food for vegans?" Or "are they themselves vegans?" The second question is obviously No for the proverbial flytrap, but it hints
by biztos 9y ago
Do you mean "are they suitable food for vegans?"
Or "are they themselves vegans?"
The second question is obviously No for the proverbial flytrap, but it hints at another interesting question:
Can a non-human animal (or plant) be a vegan?
Examples: a pet wolf you only feed with vegan food; a cow you don't force to eat other cows.
- arghwhat 9y agoAha, you are correct. I got caught by the use of the term "vegan" as a label for food suitable for vegans (to which I normally react as if the label had read "contains concentrated plutonium"). To dig into your question, one first has to answer what the definition of vegan is in the context. Is it just a diet, or is it a belief? While a pet wolf fed only vegan food would probably die from malnutrition, it is fair to assume that a cow left to its own devices would eat food that, while indigestible to human vegans, would be vegan in nature. But, does that make the cow "vegan", as the cause of this choice is merely a biological one? I do not think it would hesitate to enjoy honey if presented, nor worry if meat was its primary food source.
- biztos 9y agoYeah I guess it comes down to whether something like "a vegan" is defined by action (not eating animal-derived foods) or by intent (attempting to not eat animal-derived foods because of religion, worldview, etc.). And if it's intent, are all vegans equally vegan? If I "eat vegan" for my own health, and you "eat vegan" because you want sustainable agriculture long-term, and Suzie "eats vegan" because her religion tells her to, are we all really "vegans?" And if we are, then why isn't a giraffe? We have no insight into its motivation, and "it evolved to do so" is a slippery slope.