Two kinds of objection
When someone disagrees with a proposal, it can be for two reasons:
- Normative objection: the person thinks the goal is wrong.
- Strategic objection: the person agrees with the goal but thinks the way of getting there won't work.
"That would be great, but it won't work"
It's really common to hear someone say: "I agree, but pushing for this is pointless" or "this will backfire." This kind of line shows up against any new idea that asks us to look at a problem we didn't see before.
Examples in animal ethics
The author shows that this line comes up in many contexts:
- "I agree we should consider animals, but talking about it will just push people away."
- "I agree we should reject speciesism, but nobody will accept it."
- "I agree exploitation should end, but it's better not to talk about abolition."
- "I agree invertebrates matter, but talking about them will make people laugh."
- "I agree with helping wild animals, but it's too early to talk about it."
- "I agree with preventing future suffering, but it's too speculative."
The disguise
Sometimes these statements are sincere. But sometimes the person doesn't really agree with the goal. They use the strategic objection as a disguise, because it's easier to say "it won't work" than "I don't think this matters."
In short
- Objections can be about the goal or about the strategy.
- "That would be great, but it won't work" shows up against many new ideas.
- Sometimes a disagreement about the goal is disguised as a disagreement about strategy.