A Solid, Moral Argument for Veganism
At the Machar Conference in Tel Aviv, YouTuber Alex O'Connor spoke publicly for the first time on animal liberation, and he did not hold back any punches. It is compelling, convicting, and a powerful stand for veganism.
On November 22, 2019, YouTuber Alex O'Connor spoke at the Machar Conference, an atheist conference hosted by the Israeli Atheist Association, in Tel Aviv.
Alex is a philosophy and theology major at St. John's College, Oxford University, and he is the founder of the Cosmic Skeptic YouTube channel, podcast, and blog, which serves to publish philosophical ideas and debates in acceptable and easy to access formats.
At 20-years-old, Alex has already amassed a large following online and has become a prominent figure in the world of atheism, veganism, and advocacy for free speech. His YouTube channel currently has over 290,000 subscribers, and his website, CosmicSkeptic.com, is a great resource for various topics of interest and debate.
In this past year, though, Alex's own philosophical and moral convictions have challenged him to no longer eat meat and to become an advocate for animal rights and veganism. During his speech at the Machar Conference, he even referred to animal liberation as "the greatest moral emergency that we are currently facing".
CHECK OUT ALEX O'CONNOR'S SPEECH BELOW
"Extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence," he says. "Extraordinary harm and mistreatment requires extraordinary justification."
We do live in a time and world where extraordinary claims are often made with little-to-no accountability, but Alex even points out that the violence done to animals is cruel and immoral. What justification do we have in the utterly disgusting and barbaric mistreatment of animals such as pigs, chickens, and cows, for example?
We have learned a lot more about diet over the past 20 years that have helped us to realize that animal meat is actually not a requirement for humans, and there are plenty of options where certain proteins and nutrients that many believe come only from meat can be obtained through other means.
This is a compelling argument made by Alex O'Connor, and it was so helpful to listen to and understand the moral argument against eating meat. For those who still do not quite understand the reason for becoming vegan, please take some time to listen to Alex's speech and try to readjust your understanding of the matter.