![\"Vegan](\"https:\/\/www.veganfriendly.org.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/vegan-spelled-out-in-herbs.jpg\")
Many people ponder the question about what a vegan is and whether there is a set regime, diet or set of beliefs that should be followed to classify yourself as a \u201cvegan\u201d. If you delve into the various definitions of veganism and the viewpoints held by individual vegans or vegan advocacy groups about what it means to be vegan you are likely to discover that veganism is far from a one-size-fits-all notion.<\/p>\n
There is a wide spectrum of answers to the question What Is a Vegan?<\/a>, but quite often they fall into two camps:<\/p>\n In broad terms, the latter group would be classified as \u201cethical vegans\u201d and the former group as \u201cdietary vegans\u201d.<\/p>\n In this article, we\u2019ll look at the two groups in more detail and explain how they differ and in what ways they overlap. We will also examine whether veganism should be viewed more as a spectrum than a set of rigid rules and whether doing so might actually encourage more people to reduce and perhaps eventually give up animal products.<\/p>\n Although covered in more detail<\/a> elsewhere on our site, it makes sense to briefly explain the concept and definition of veganism so that we can explore ethical and dietary vegans within a contextual framework. There are various definitions floating around the Internet about what a vegan is and what veganism means, but the most widely accepted definition comes from The Vegan Society<\/a>, whose roots go back to 1944 when Donal Watson instigated a meeting to talk about non-dairy vegetarian diets.<\/p>\n It was at that meeting that the term \u201cvegan\u201d was coined (which, we have to say, is a little catchier than some of the other options they muted including \u201cvitan\u201d and \u201cbenevore\u201d). In case you didn\u2019t know, it was chosen simply on the basis of being the first three and last two letters of the word \u201cvegetarian\u201d. The Vegan Society definition of veganism (which was formalised in 1988) states that veganism is:<\/p>\n A philosophy and way of living which seeks to exclude\u2014as far as is possible and practicable\u2014all forms of exploitation of, and cruelty to, animals for food, clothing or any other purpose; and by extension, promotes the development and use of animal-free alternatives for the benefit of humans, animals and the environment. In dietary terms it denotes the practice of dispensing with all products derived wholly or partly from animals.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n A dietary vegan is quite simply someone who follows a plant-based diet \u2013 that is, they do not knowingly consume food or drink that contains animal products or (usually) which have used animal products during their production. Dietary vegans may not necessarily forego other non-food items or services that have used animals\/animal products, which exploit animals or which have been tested on animals.<\/p>\n In short, dietary vegans commit to the last sentence of the above definition: \u201cIn dietary terms it denotes the practice of dispensing with all products derived wholly or partly from animals.\u201d But they don\u2019t necessarily embrace the rest of it (at least to begin with).<\/p>\n A dietary vegan would therefore not eat meat, fish, dairy products, honey<\/a>, or indeed anything that includes even insects (such as food colouring E120, also known as cochineal or carmine which is made from crushed scale insects). A dietary vegan would not necessarily stop wearing leather or wool<\/a>, or only purchase cosmetics<\/a> or household items that haven\u2019t been tested on animals. They may see no problem with visiting zoos, circuses that feature animals or sports and events, such as horse racing, greyhound racing or dog shows.<\/p>\n It is often the case that dietary vegans arrive at their decision to undertake a plant-based diet for health reasons. This is something we delve into in some detail in our Health Reasons for Veganism<\/a> article. In such a scenario, it is probable that given someone is coming at veganism from a health perspective, they might not necessarily be as concerned about, or indeed aware of, the ethical issues relating to animal products in general, and specifically those beyond the food and drink industry.<\/p>\n Some staunch ethical vegans might criticise dietary vegans and start labelling them as \u201cfake vegans\u201d, \u201cveganish\u201d or something else that in essence belittles them as not quite as good as the \u201creal\u201d vegans out there. As we discuss a little later, this could prove somewhat detrimental to the vegan cause.<\/p>\n An ethical vegan is someone who essentially follows the aforementioned definition of veganism, so they \u201cexclude\u2014as far as is possible and practicable\u2014all forms of exploitation of, and cruelty to, animals for food, clothing or any other purpose\u201d. This means that as well as not consuming food or drink that contains any animal products or which has used any during their manufacture, ethical vegans would also avoid other products of animal origin (such as leather<\/a>, silk<\/a> and wool<\/a>) and would also attempt to avoid all products that have been tested on animals.<\/p>\n There are some notable exceptions, such as medicines<\/a> and vaccines<\/a>, which fall under the \u201cas far as is possible and practicable\u201d section of the definition of veganism as far as almost all vegans are concerned. In other words, it is okay, in fact strongly advisable, for vegans to take any prescribed medicines and vaccines even though they have been tested on animals, which is a requirement in the UK, on the basis that it is not practicable (or at all sensible!) to not do so.<\/p>\n We go into a lot more detail about the Ethical Reasons for Veganism<\/a> in our dedicated article on the subject, considering such things as the nature of suffering and the ethics of personhood, so we will not rehash that information here. Suffice it to say, even if someone is vegan for ethical reasons, it does not necessary mean that one person\u2019s individual ethical stance in relation to veganism is the same as every other ethical vegan, or indeed that is it the same as any other ethical vegan.<\/p>\n Some vegans\u2019 ethical motivations for eschewing all animal products might be specifically in relation to the suffering experienced by animals they see (with good justification from a scientific perspective<\/a>) as sentient beings that are likely to be able to feel pain and in many cases even anticipate pain.<\/p>\n For other vegans, they might have an ethical stance relating to the environment and the perceived (again very justified) environmental damage caused by deforestation for beef ranching and indeed cattle farming in general. These are both ethical stances that lead people to embrace veganism, but the fact they are different (if related in many ways) shows there is no defined ethical path someone must follow to arrive at the destination of becoming an ethical vegan.<\/p>\n Ethical veganism is also classified as a \u201cphilosophical belief<\/a>\u201d and so is protected in law in the UK, as we discuss in our article, Is Veganism A Religion?<\/a>; this is not the case with either vegetarianism or dietary veganism, which are seen as dietary choices rather than full-blown philosophies.<\/p>\n There are some vegans who read the \u201cand by extension, promotes the development and use of animal-free alternatives for the benefit of humans, animals and the environment\u201d section of the vegan definition as a call to them to become active advocates for veganism. This is personal choice based on the individual circumstances each person finds him or herself in.<\/p>\n One reading of that part of the definition would suggest that simply by excluding (almost) all forms of exploitation of, and cruelty to, animals for food, clothing or any other purpose ethical vegans are already promoting veganism (by example) and promoting the development of animal-free alternatives (through the medium of supply and demand). Others though feel it is their duty to do more than that, but neither path is technically right or wrong from an ethical standpoint in our view.<\/p>\n As detailed above, there are plenty of areas of overlap and also of difference between people who identify as ethical vegans and those who would better be described as dietary vegans (or those who follow a plant-based diet).<\/p>\n Here we\u2019ll put some of the main areas of agreements\/disagreement in a handy table. Note that this information is based on general cases and that individual ethical and dietary vegans are likely to differ significantly in their individual choices and rules about what they consume.<\/p>\n\n
What Does It Mean to Be Vegan?<\/h2>\n
What Is a Dietary Vegan?<\/h2>\n
![\"Dietary](\"https:\/\/www.veganfriendly.org.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/fruits-and-vegetables.jpg\")
<\/p>\nWhat Is an Ethical Vegan?<\/h2>\n
![\"Hugging](\"https:\/\/www.veganfriendly.org.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/hugging-cow.jpg\")
<\/p>\nExceptions<\/h3>\n
Suffering of Animals<\/h3>\n
Environmental Damage<\/h3>\n
A Philosophical Belief<\/h3>\n
How Do Ethical & Dietary Vegans Differ or Overlap?<\/h2>\n
What Ethical & Dietary Vegans Consume\/Use\/Support<\/h3>\n
![\"Go](\"https:\/\/www.veganfriendly.org.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/go-vegan-illustration.jpg\")
People who describe themselves as vegan span a wide range of different stances. At one end are those who could be seen to be \u201cveganish\u201d, \u201cseagans\u201d (who are basically vegan but will eat fish and other seafood, typically if it is sustainable) or vegetarians who are edging closer towards full veganism (\u201cvegan curious\u201d?). At the other end, would be the aforementioned level 5 Vegans, and the rather restrictive \u201cfruitarians\u201d (who only consume food that has been harvested without causing harm to the plant in question).<\/p>\n