where science and ethics intersect with politics
In the language of the food industry, animals are not killed—they are “processed.” This Language, Examined piece explores how a single word can remove violence from view, transforming an act into a procedure and reshaping how we understand what’s really happening.
Animal Cruelty Prevention Month encourages compassion—but rarely asks the deeper question: can cruelty truly be prevented within systems that require it to function? When harm is built into the structure, reducing it is not the same as eliminating it. This piece explores the limits of prevention, the role of language in shaping perception, and why meaningful change may require more than reform—it may require abolition.
“Free-range” evokes images of open space and animal freedom—but what does it actually guarantee? This Language, Examined piece explores how the term shifts our focus from outcome to environment, offering reassurance while leaving deeper ethical questions untouched.
What does “ethical meat” really mean? This Language, Examined piece explores how the phrase reshapes the conversation—shifting focus from whether animals should be killed to how it’s done, and offering reassurance where deeper questions still remain.
The Humane Herald 