Blog post by: Asmund Havsteen-Mikkelsen, MA & MFA Visual Artist.
The blog post is an expression of the writer's opinions.

Anyone looking for plant-based foods in a supermarket must first walk past shelf meters of dead animals or animal products of all kinds. Skinned carcasses, severed limbs, pureed organs, chopped and ground muscle mass, filled intestines, animal cells that can become birds and nutrient secretions in liquid and solid form. And there, in between the trays of liver pâté and salami slices, a plant-based pâté appears. It feels strange to reach into the fridge, to be close to body parts that once belonged to living beings with their own personality and the ability to enjoy their lives. A mixture of horror at the thought of the life and death they have endured, and then a sense of solidarity, empathy and injustice.

Since switching to a plant-based diet over four years ago, it has been painful to see the remains of dead animals in the shops. And after learning first-hand about the conditions in which they are raised and killed, I have been appalled by the apparent indifference Danes have towards the social order that allows this massive industrial killing of farm animals. Animals or animal products on the menu is the most natural thing in Denmark. Granted, before my own dietary change, I used to eat meat myself and knew how it was produced - but worried about other problems in society.

In my quest to get to the bottom of the thought structure that underpins this insane food system, I have written a book: Danish Speciesism. Danish Speciesism.

Speciesism - discrimination against species

Speciesism is a concept in animal ethics introduced by Australian philosopher Peter Singer, who published Animal Liberation in 1975. There is an entire chapter on the historical origins and current prevalence of speciesism.

Singer believes that speciesism should be understood in the same way as racism and sexism: structural hierarchies where one party overrides the interests of another party, in this case discrimination based on race or gender. In speciesism, one species, in this case humans, overrides the interests of other species to live a life in accordance with their evolutionary needs and temporal possibilities. Industrially farmed animals, such as cows, pigs and chickens, are confined, deprived of their children, eggs or milk, cannot choose their own mates, and are killed long before they would naturally die. This is not in the best interest of the animals. Animal breeding, on the other hand, is in the interests of humans because we want to extract specific products from the animal. Speciesism is thus reflected in our ranking of animals - where our pets are at the top with privileges and access to our private homes, while the cow, pig and chicken are perceived as inferior species, even though, for example, pigs are smarter than both dogs and cats.

Speciesism is therefore the thought structure that legitimizes this kind of mistreatment of farm animals and disregard for their fundamental interests. From what position can we confront speciesism? In my view, a reckoning should take place from a moral stance on whether it is legitimate to treat living, sentient beings in the way that industrial agriculture does. It's fundamentally about recognizing and respecting another living being as an individual and a body in its own right - whether it's a cow, pig or a chicken. Beings that have in no way chosen to be livestock or pose a threat to us. They are innocent victims of human speciesism in the same way that enslaved humans or women have been victims of man's lust for power.

What is speciesism?

• Discrimination based on species. For example, why do we love dogs but eat pigs?

• Concept in ethics and philosophy introduced by philosopher Peter Singer

• Several philosophers believe that speciesism is morally wrong. We should recognize all species - not just humans.

• Specieism is at the root of the way we treat animals today: one of the reasons we subject some species to suffering, pain and death just to eat their bodies.

But where does this notion come from that we humans have the right to dominate, manipulate and kill non-human species such as the cow, pig and chicken?

Peter Singer locates the origin of speciesism in its Western variant in Christianity's creation story. Here, God creates the world and grants humans a divine right to both rule over and eat animals. In Christianity, humans are chosen by God as a special species to rule over all others. In other words, the origins of speciesism are mythological. It is deeply woven into the narratives we have about ourselves as the pinnacle of creation.

Speciesism is not a recent phenomenon, and it should be emphasized that cultures and civilizations other than Christianity also have forms of speciesism.

But in Denmark, speciesism has been intensified to the extreme: Millions of animals die in Danish slaughterhouses every year. From an animal's perspective, Denmark is a nation of death and destruction. But how can such a large part of the population simply accept this as a matter of course? I believe there is more to it than just effective marketing from the lobbying organization Danish Agriculture & Food Council, or the belief that meat is healthy or necessary to add flavor and texture to food. To me, the term "Danish speciesism" makes sense as a special variant of speciesism, because agriculture has occupied a special status since the very beginning of the welfare state.

Denmark was an agricultural country, where the export of agricultural products helped lay the economic foundation for the welfare state. From the beginning, it has been part of our self-understanding that we Danes breed and kill animals. We have been legitimized by our cultural-Christian values, and there was an economy in it. The prospect of profit is known to make people do many strange things, even if they are wrong. Over time, we have developed cultural eating habits with national dishes such as meatballs with brown gravy and potatoes, or roast pork and duck at Christmas.

The fact that today we have an agriculture that is in debt, plays a negligible role in the economy, causes oxygen depletion in our seawater, contamination of our drinking water - and worst of all: mistreats and kills animals, makes it all so cruel to deal with.

But speciesism is written into the Danish Animal Protection Act, so it must be true, right? At least it's still legal. Or is it?

Just because it's normal doesn't mean it's right

It was once believed that there was a difference between races, which made it natural to enslave people of African descent. Today, we've wised up and take a strong stance against it (which is not to say that racism has been abolished). Similarly, many people also believe that it's perfectly legitimate to keep animals locked up and kill them whenever we want.

My book is an attempt to dispel this notion by showing the consequences of speciesism for animals and why we should strive for the abolition of animal-based food production. Of course, being a speciesist is a great privilege because it provides quick and easy access to flavors, proteins and fatty acids. And yes, we have the power as a species to do so. But just because we have the power, does that make us right? Once upon a time, it was believed that parents were allowed to hit their children. In this case, the obvious power had also become a right. The right to spank was only abolished in 1997. Today, we think it's completely wrong, so our moral standards are not immutable.

I believe and hope that one day we as a society will change our view of farm animals based on different moral standards than the ones we have today. A new morality based on recognizing animals as worthy of being respected for the sentient and feeling individuals that they are. From this moral standpoint, it will be obvious that any purchase of meat or products from animals involves violence, manipulation and the premature death of beings who would prefer to remain alive and live according to their own evolutionary needs at all times.

My book on Danish speciesism concludes with two chapters on the moral transformation of ourselves that can lead to a society where animal husbandry is abolished and what we can win back of wild nature if we stop cultivating the land so intensively to feed farm animals. The book is essentially a battle cry for a new Denmark, based on an analysis of what speciesism is and what terrible consequences this thought structure has for farm animals.

Read more

The book "Danish Speciesism" can be purchased here. It is written in English, as it is an extension of a number of books I have written in the same language.

In the Danish book Det generøse fællesskab - drømmen om et genforvildet Danmark, I also argue for a shift to a plant-based diet and for the transformation of our farmland into wild nature, based on a new utopian concept of community. It can be purchased here.

About the writer

This post is written by Asmund Havsteen-Mikkelsen, MA & MFA Visual Artist, in connection with the release of his book "Danish Speciesism".

Latest news

Asmund Havsteen-Mikkelsen is currently presenting the current exhibition, NEW DENMARK. The exhibition challenges Danes to rethink their self-understanding and view of the country, questioning whether Denmark is a green pioneer or a country plagued by environmental problems. Through mapping and flags, he challenges the view of Danish nature and the environment, depicting a contrast between a utopian and an industrialized Denmark.

The exhibition is free to visit until January 31st.