the robot challenges you to summon the human courage to honestly answer these 4 questions for yourself...

1] can animals suffer?

2] do animals suffer when you take from them their body parts, freedom, family members, labor, comfort, secretions, skins, etc.?

3] can you survive & thrive without taking those things from animals?

4] is it wrong to cause unnecessary suffering?

if you answered "yes" to all of those questions, then you already hold vegan principles. the logical & moral response to 4 yesses is to cease the use of animals. so, a final question:

are you a human who cares to live by your own principles?

• • • • • • • •

[if you answered "no" to any of those questions, the robot respectfully further challenges you to do a bit of research about those. if you'd like, you can interface with the robot for more info.]

although the plant-based diet necessitated by veganism benefits your health, the environment, & humanity, veganism itself is not a diet, but an ethical position which can only be for the animals. "vegan for the animals" is redundant & implies that veganism can have other motivations — it cannot — it is for the animals, by definition.

animals are harmed by a lack of clarity on this matter.

the distance between the wrong you have been doing & the right you have realized you should do is 1 grown-up step, not a bunch of baby steps.

there is so much talk out there about “trying to be vegan” or “moving towards veganism”. that kind of talk makes sense when referring to a diet or a new workout, but not when referring to a moral position, which is what veganism is. the robot does not mean to come down on anyone — any effort towards veganism is admirable — rather, he is encouraging you to approach veganism in the same way you approach other ethical convictions. doing so eliminates much of the struggle vegans experience. if you wouldn't make a particular statement about thievery or assault, for example, then you shouldn't say it about using animals [which happens to involve both thievery & assault].

if you haven't already, please just stop hurting animals unnecessarily.

the dairy & egg industries are even crueler than the meat industry. the use of animals for clothing, labor, entertainment, testing, etc. also causes great suffering for the animals you seek to help. so, if your motivation for vegetarianism is concern for animals [which is awesome], it makes no sense to stop short of veganism.

ethical vegetarianism is nonsense.
reject all forms of animal exploitation.

for those on the outside, looking in, it is common to assume that veganism is merely a sentimental stance, arrived at through a series of emotional reactions to unpleasant statistics & horrifying imagery, & to deride it as such. while it is true that we find much to be upset about, & that many vegans do follow their feelings into the lifestyle, it's a mistake to think that's all there is to it. veganism is, in its strongest form, a rational, ethical position, built upon the logical application of critically adopted principles, well-researched science, & disciplined moral consistency.

confronting the ways that humans treat animals will arouse compassion in many humans, & such compassion is a wonderful human impulse, but an emotional foundation for the vegan lifestyle is a wobbly one, because emotions themselves are wobbly. furthermore, even one who feels no emotional drive towards veganism should adopt it, because the real foundation of veganism is justice, & justice should be pursued regardless of one's feelings about it.