animals—bywhichwecandeterminewhichofourpractices
affectingnonhumananimalsarejustifiableandwhicharenot.
Byapplyingthisprincipletoourownliveswecanmakeour
actions fully consistent. Thus we can deny to those who
ignoretheinterestsofanimalstheopportunitytochargeus
with inconsistency.
For all practical purposes as far as urban and suburban
inhabitants of the industrialized nations are concerned,
following the principle of equal consideration of interests
requiresustobevegetarians.Thisisthemostimportantstep,
and theone to whichI havegivenmost attention; but we
shouldalso,tobeconsistent,stopusingotheranimalproducts
forwhich animals havebeenkilledor madeto suffer.We
should not wear furs.Weshould not buy leatherproducts
either,sincethesaleofhidesforleatherplaysasignificant
role in the profitability of the meat industry.
Forthepioneervegetariansofthenineteenthcentury,giving
upleathermeantarealsacrifice,sinceshoesandbootsmade
ofothermaterialswerescarce.LewisGompertz,thesecond
secretary
oftheRSPCAandastrictvegetarianwhorefusedtoridein
horse-drawnvehicles,suggestedthatanimalsshouldbereared
inpasturesandallowedtogrowoldanddieanaturaldeath,
afterwhichtheirskinswouldbeusedforleather.^26 Theidea
is a tribute to Gompertz’s humanity rather than his
economics, but todaytheeconomicsare ontheotherfoot.
Shoes and boots made of synthetic materials are now
availableinmanycheaperstores,atpricesconsiderablylower
thanthoseforleathershoes;andsneakersmadeofcanvasand
rubber arenowthestandardfootwearforAmerican youth.