What is speciesism?

In this article you will learn the following:

• What speciesism is
• Who contributed to the coining of the term
• Where to find speciesism
• How you can combat speciesism with vegan dog food

From tousled dogs to majestic cows, from clumsy ponies to slightly snobbish cats: Each animal has its very own personality, its own preferences and quirks. Some are big, some are small, fluffy or shaggy, fast or slow. But despite their diversity, they have something crucial in common: they are all valuable, sentient beings. Not the same, but equal: this fact forms the basis for the considerations surrounding the topic of speciesism.

Speciesism is difficult to pronounce and even more difficult to understand. It is a form of discrimination based on the assumption that belonging to a certain species determines what value a living being has and how it may be treated. Why are pets loved and pampered, while so-called farm animals are fed, eaten and processed? This topic is underrepresented in society despite increasing awareness of climate and animal protection.

The term speciesism refers to a form of discrimination in which living beings are discriminated against solely on the basis of their species. In short, speciesism refers to discrimination against non-human animals. Animal suffering and inappropriate husbandry are therefore forms of speciesism, as animals are given less consideration due to the fact that they do not belong to the human species, or more precisely to Homo sapiens.

Speciesism is therefore particularly rooted in animal ethics or the animal rights movement. Opponents of speciesism describe themselves as anti-speciesists.

"Is it not about time that civilization's admirable ethical concern for human rights should not be extended in a quite logical way to our neighboring species?"~ Richard Rydner (https://simorgh.de/ar/richardryder.pdf)

Richard Rydner built the concept of speciesism on this principle. Ryder assumes that an individual's capacity for pain, regardless of, for example, ethnicity, species or gender, gives them the right to be included in the moral community. According to Ryder, every individual capable of pain therefore has a right not to experience suffering. Experimental infliction of suffering on an individual without their consent would therefore be discrimination and thus speciesism.

Peter Singers specifies the term by making a comparison with other forms of discrimination:

"The fact that certain beings do not belong to our species does not entitle us to exploit them, and similarly the fact that other living beings are less intelligent than we are does not mean that their interests may be disregarded." (http://philocast.net/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/Singer-2008-Rassismus-und-Speziesismus.pdf)

Singers also refers to the capacity for suffering, which includes the right to take interests into account.

Several examples of speciesism can be identified in our society today. These include:

• The exploitation of animals for food
• The exploitation of animals for clothing materials
• The destruction of the habitat of certain animal species for or wood.

In concrete terms: the issue of food for dogs. So far, far too little has been said about the fact that other sentient beings have to die to satisfy a very one-sided love of animals. This is speciesism as it is written in a rather gruesome storybook. It is high time to overcome this way of thinking. At VEGDOG we therefore only produce vegan dog food such as the GREEN CRUNCH to avoid any suffering - be it for farm animals or pets.