Definitions
Essential terms for understanding veganism.
INDEX
Vegan
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A person who practices veganism, which is a philosophy and way of living that seeks to exclude all forms of exploitation of, and cruelty to, animals for food, clothing, entertainment, or any other purpose.
Veganism is also defined as a social justice movement, alongside the fight against racism, sexism, or any other oppression. Vegetarian
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A person who practices a vegetarian diet, which is a diet that excludes all animal flesh (meat, poultry, fish, and seafood), but generally allows the consumption of animal-derived products such as eggs and dairy.
Vegetarian
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A person who practices a plant-based diet, which is a diet that excludes the consumption of all animal-derived products (meat, fish, eggs, dairy, honey, etc.).
Animalism
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School of thought and movement that defends the interests of animals, opposes their exploitation and instrumentalization by humans, and advocates for the recognition of their fundamental rights.
Speciesism
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Discrimination practiced by humans against animals, consisting of assigning them a lower moral value and justifying their exploitation on the grounds that they belong to another species.
Antispeciesism
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Philosophical and political movement that considers there is no moral justification for discriminating against living beings based on their species. Antispeciesism opposes the idea that the human species is superior to other species.
Exploitation
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The action of using a resource or, in the case of sentient beings, of treating individuals as objects or means to our service, taking advantage of them for personal purposes to the detriment of their well-being or interests.
Agent moral
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A moral agent is a being capable of making moral judgments based on notions of right and wrong, and of bearing ethical responsibility for them. He has the capacity to act intentionally according to moral principles.
Patient moral
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A moral patient is a being that deserves moral consideration (e.g., humans, sentient animals). They are the target or object of moral actions, but are not necessarily capable of being responsible for them.
Cognitive dissonance
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An uncomfortable state of tension felt by a person who simultaneously holds two or more cognitions (ideas, beliefs, values, emotions) that contradict one another. To reduce this tension, the individual will generally modify one of their cognitions (change an attitude or belief), add new cognitions to justify the conflict, or minimize the importance of the contradiction.
Cognitive bias
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Systematic deviation in information processing leading to a judgment error, distorted perception, or illogical conclusion.
Example: Believing that a vegan person is constantly in poor health and only remembering the moment they catch a cold, while ignoring all the athletes and vegan people who are in perfect health. Consciousness
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Consciousness is the mental faculty of having an immediate perception of oneself, one's thoughts, actions, and environment.
In philosophy and psychology, it is generally divided into several dimensions:
Phenomenal consciousness: The capacity to experience subjective sensations (sentience).
Self-consciousness: The capacity to perceive oneself as an individual distinct from the rest of the world and to reflect on one's own existence.
Moral consciousness: The capacity to make a normative judgment on the moral value of one's own actions or those of others. Sentience
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Capable of experiencing subjective experiences and sensations (such as pain, pleasure, hunger, or fear) from one's own point of view, implying a form of perceptual consciousness (the capacity to consciously perceive and interpret one's environment).
Sapience
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The advanced mental capacity to think abstractly, reason logically, manipulate complex concepts, and demonstrate high wisdom or superior intelligence.
Examples:
Solving an abstract mathematical problem or conceiving a scientific theory.
Planning very long-term actions by anticipating complex consequences.
Reflecting on abstract philosophical concepts such as justice, morality, or existence.