How to Create a Vegan World

1. What is "How to Create a Vegan World" by Tobias Leenaert about?

• Pragmatic vegan advocacy: The book presents a pragmatic, evidence-based approach to creating a vegan world, focusing on strategies that are effective rather than purely idealistic.
• Incremental change over purity: Leenaert argues for encouraging reduction in animal product consumption, not just strict veganism, to reach a societal tipping point faster.
• Behavioral and environmental focus: The book emphasizes making vegan choices easier through better alternatives, supportive environments, and inclusive messaging.
• Metaphor of Veganville: Leenaert uses the metaphor of a journey to "Veganville" to illustrate the process of moving individuals and society toward veganism in stages.

2. Why should I read "How to Create a Vegan World" by Tobias Leenaert?

• Practical strategies for change: The book offers actionable, research-backed strategies for anyone interested in effective vegan or animal advocacy.
• Bridges idealism and pragmatism: It helps readers understand the balance between holding strong ethical beliefs and achieving real-world results.
• Inclusive and non-judgmental: Leenaert’s approach is welcoming to reducers, vegetarians, and those not yet vegan, making it relevant for a broad audience.
• Endorsed by experts: The book is praised by leading figures in animal advocacy and effective altruism, including Peter Singer and Melanie Joy.

3. What are the key takeaways from "How to Create a Vegan World"?

• Effectiveness over purity: Focus on what works to reduce animal suffering, even if it means supporting incremental steps rather than demanding immediate veganism.
• Behavior change precedes attitude change: People often adopt vegan behaviors for non-moral reasons, and ethical motivations can develop later.
• Facilitating environment is crucial: Making vegan options more accessible, affordable, and appealing is as important as moral arguments.
• Inclusivity and flexibility: A more relaxed, inclusive definition of veganism helps more people participate and move along the vegan spectrum.

4. How does Tobias Leenaert define a pragmatic approach to vegan advocacy?

• Results-oriented mindset: Pragmatism means focusing on strategies that produce the greatest reduction in animal suffering, even if they deviate from strict ideology.
• Incremental asks: Advocates should encourage any reduction in animal product consumption, not just total veganism, to maximize impact.
• Adaptability: The approach is flexible, adjusting tactics based on context, audience, and what research shows to be effective.
• Collaboration and compromise: Working with businesses, institutions, and non-vegans is encouraged, even if it involves compromise or partial solutions.

5. What is the "Veganville" metaphor in "How to Create a Vegan World" and why is it important?

• Journey up a mountain: "Veganville" represents an ideal vegan society at the top of a mountain, with people at various stages along the path.
• Stages and diversity: The metaphor illustrates that people can move toward veganism in steps, and that every step counts.
• Multiple routes: There are many ways to reach Veganville—no single correct path exists, and different strategies work for different people.
• Encourages patience and empathy: The metaphor helps advocates understand the challenges others face and the value of supporting incremental progress.

6. Why does Tobias Leenaert emphasize the importance of meat reducers and incremental change?

• Larger impact through numbers: Meat reducers (flexitarians) outnumber vegans and vegetarians, and their collective demand drives market and cultural shifts.
• Market transformation: Reducers create demand for plant-based products, making veganism easier and more attractive for everyone.
• Psychological benefits: Small wins and gradual change are more sustainable and less likely to result in backsliding than all-or-nothing approaches.
• Evidence-based: Research shows that most people who become vegan or vegetarian do so gradually, and that incremental approaches are more effective at scale.

7. How does "How to Create a Vegan World" address the debate between idealism and pragmatism in vegan advocacy?

• Spectrum, not dichotomy: Leenaert presents idealism and pragmatism as ends of a spectrum, with most advocates falling somewhere in between.
• Context matters: The book argues that the appropriate balance shifts over time and depends on societal readiness and movement phase.
• Risks of both extremes: Excessive idealism can alienate potential allies, while excessive pragmatism can dilute core values—both must be managed.
• Strategic compromise: Historical examples (e.g., abolitionism) show that compromise and incrementalism can lead to greater long-term victories.

8. What role do moral versus non-moral arguments play in Leenaert’s strategy for creating a vegan world?

• All motivations are valid: Leenaert encourages using health, environmental, and taste arguments alongside ethical ones to reach a wider audience.
• Behavior can lead to belief: People often adopt vegan behaviors for non-moral reasons and later develop ethical convictions.
• Avoiding backlash: Overemphasis on moral arguments can trigger defensiveness and resistance; non-moral arguments can lower barriers to entry.
• Pragmatic messaging: Tailoring arguments to the audience’s values increases the likelihood of change and broadens the movement’s appeal.

9. How does "How to Create a Vegan World" suggest advocates can make veganism easier and more accessible?

• Improving alternatives: Support the development and promotion of better, tastier, and more affordable plant-based products.
• Institutional change: Work with businesses, schools, and governments to increase vegan options and make them the default where possible.
• Choice architecture: Use nudges and environmental tweaks (e.g., Meatless Mondays, vegan default meals) to make plant-based choices easier.
• Collaboration with industry: Partner with both vegan and non-vegan companies to expand the reach and impact of vegan products.

10. What does Tobias Leenaert say about the definition of veganism and the importance of inclusivity?

• Flexible definition: Leenaert advocates for a definition of veganism that is “as far as practical and possible,” allowing for imperfection and context.
• Inclusivity over purity: Welcoming reducers, near-vegans, and those motivated by non-ethical reasons strengthens the movement and accelerates change.
• Identity versus impact: The focus should be on reducing suffering, not on strict adherence to rules or labels.
• Avoiding alienation: Policing the boundaries of veganism can discourage participation and slow progress toward a vegan world.

11. What are the main communication strategies recommended in "How to Create a Vegan World"?

• Audience-centered approach: Tailor messages to the audience’s values, needs, and readiness, rather than assuming everyone is like the advocate.
• Empathy and listening: Practice “slow opinion,” empathy, and active listening to understand and connect with others.
• Support over judgment: Encourage and celebrate every step toward veganism, avoiding judgmental or purist attitudes.
• Focus on the “how”: Provide practical support, recipes, and resources to make veganism feel achievable and enjoyable.

12. What are the best quotes from "How to Create a Vegan World" by Tobias Leenaert and what do they mean?

• “It’s easier to act your way into a new way of thinking, than think your way into a new way of acting.” – Emphasizes that behavior change often precedes attitude change, so advocates should focus on making action easy.
• “Pragmatism, according to the Cambridge Essential English Dictionary, is the quality of dealing with a problem in a manner that suits the conditions that really exist, rather than following fixed theories, ideas, or rules.” – Highlights the book’s central theme of adapting strategies to real-world conditions for maximum impact.
• “The vegan movement needs to be inclusive rather than exclusive. We need to think less in terms of us versus them, and more in terms of simply us.” – Stresses the importance of building a broad, welcoming movement to achieve lasting change.
• “If you ask for all or nothing, you usually end up with nothing.” – Warns against purist approaches that can alienate potential allies and slow progress.
• “Food comes first, then morals.” (Berthold Brecht, quoted) – Reminds advocates that practical needs and experiences often precede ethical considerations, so making vegan food appealing is essential.