No Ethical Justification for Exploiting Sentient Beings
Exploiting a sentient being can never be justified, as it involves ignoring another’s autonomy, will, and suffering. Sentient beings, those who can feel pain, fear, and joy, deserve moral consideration simply because they are aware and capable of suffering.
Justifying the use of animals for food, labor, entertainment, or testing always relies on human-centered reasoning: tradition, taste, profit, or convenience. None of these outweighs the right of another being to live free from harm. The moment we accept that a pig, a chicken, a cow, or a fish can suffer, we must also accept that causing that suffering for avoidable reasons is unethical.
In truth, most exploitation today is unnecessary. We no longer need to eat animals, wear them, or use them for entertainment. Continuing to do so is a moral failure. Ethics demands that we reject cruelty even when it is normalized. Real progress means drawing a line, not between humans and animals, but between compassion and cruelty. Exploitation is never kind, never just, and never ethical. Choosing not to exploit is choosing justice.