Our answers to questions, objections and criticisms
Since the formation of the Alliance for Marxism and Animal Liberation in 2014, we have engaged with Marxists, socialists and communists of all types—Trotskyists, post-operaists, humanists, Stalinists, social democrats, non-dogmatic leftists, left socialists, Maoists, syndicalists. These discussions have not always been about the animal question. But whenever we have taken a stand against animal exploitation and for animal liberation as part of the socialist revolution, we have met with a range of questions, objections and criticisms that are largely similar. Sometimes these are formulated eloquently with theoretical sophistication, and at other times they are just crude expressions of hostility towards animal liberation, reflective of the current “common sense” about animals.
We believe that the reactions we have received over the years are representative of the Marxist spectrum in Germany, Austria and Switzerland. Some of these doubts and counterarguments turn out to be nothing more than nicely packaged prejudices, whereas others raise fundamental questions of critical social theory which genuinely demand an answer. Apart from addressing Marxists, we also want to help activists from the animal rights and liberation movement who may be unsure of how to counter such criticism from the left.
In light of the above, we have started a new series of articles in which we take up particular arguments against animal liberation and seek to refute them briefly and concisely. Issue no. 5 (July 2024) of our magazine Hammel & Sittich features the first two of these FAQs, and this is continued in subsequent issues. All the FAQs will also be available on our social media channels before appearing in this section of our website. So, dear Marxist comrades—be on the lookout for updates to our “Once and for all!” FAQs explaining why we think that your objections and arguments against the abolition of animal exploitation are wrong, and why the struggle for animal liberation from capital can and must be conducted on the basis of the foundation laid by Marx and Engels.
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Click here to go directly to our ”Once and for all!” FAQ page.
The FAQ page is regularly updated with new content.
