The Phelps piece

[Guest guest]

This Phelps piece gets brought up from time to time and it's too bad,

because it's full of straw person arguments, ad hominem personal

attacks, and logical leaps.* For context, this appears to be an attempt

to blunt the increasing popularity of Gary Francione's animal rights

framework. I don't to Francione's ideas, but from reading the

piece, it seems Phelps misunderstands the abolitionist position he is

criticizing.

 

The excerpted quote is revealing: " [The abolitionist] approach to

activism reverses the logical order of things. Instead of saying, 'This

strategy works; therefore, it is right,' they say 'This strategy is

ideologically pure; therefore, if we just stick with it, it will have to

work eventually.' " Once we read past the caricaturization of the

abolitionist position, we find that Phelps promotes an ends justifies

the means thinking**. Phelps contrasts that with the abolitionist

position, which asks that the means match the ends.

 

Phelps writes: " Letting our means be determined by ideological

preconceptions is a formula for self-righteous failure. " It's almost

surreal reading Phelps mock abolitionists for trying to maintain their

ethical consistency, as if that's a bad thing. I mean, isn't ethical

vegetarianism about trying to consciously live in accord with our

ethics? Phelps presents a false choice between ethical consistency and

" pragmatism. " For abolitionists, their values simply ask them not to

engage in campaigns that support speciesism, racism, or sexism. I don't

think that's much of a sacrifice to pragmatism; it simply means certain

" options " are off the table because they conflict with one's values.

 

The original poster called abolitionists people who " sit around and

complain about everyone else while not actually doing anything

constructive activism. " I think we can do better than to disparage

abolitionists personally while avoiding addressing their ideas. In fact,

I've been impressed at how active and lively a group abolitionists have

been; they offer free, full color abolitionist-oriented pamphlets for

activists to distribute and there are a growing number of grassroots

abolitionist organizations.

 

Victor

 

* If you would like a detailed deconstruction of the article, please

email me.

** The comments in this email are independent of whether the ends

justifies the means is considered desirable or not. From an

anti-oppression perspective, ends justifies the means reasoning (e.g.

the act-utilitarianism advocated by Peter Singer) is problematic because

it always benefits the one with power. It is commonly used in animal

advocacy by those in the power position to justify campaigns that

support speciesist, racist, sexist, and other forms of oppression.

 

--- Henry Chen wrote:

 

I wonder if Gandhi was one track? Was John Brown? Maybe the best thing

is to have many one track activists all pursuing different tracks.

 

, Alex Bury <alexbury1 wrote:

>

> *...**there is a desperate need to pursue a variety of nonviolent tactics

> that offer promise of contributing to both the wellbeing and the

liberation

> of animals. By attacking those who want to expand our approaches to

animal

> advocacy as they try to hit upon the combination of tactics that will

work

> best, one-track activists have abandoned reason and wedded themselves to

> blind faith. Their approach to activism reverses the logical order of

> things. Instead of saying, " This strategy works; therefore, it is right, "

> they say " This strategy is ideologically pure; therefore, if we just

stick

> with it, it will have to work eventually. " *

>

> Full essay here:

> http://www.veganoutreach.org/articles/normphelps.html

>

> I think Mr. Phelps has coined a very kind term, " one-track activism. "

I've

> been calling it, " Sit around and complain about everyone else while not

> actually doing anything constructive activism. " I'll start using the new

> Phelps term right away.

>

> This is an excellent, thought-provoking read. Enjoy!

>

> Alex

 

--

Veganism as Anti-Oppression: http://loveallbeings.org/