What is the purpose of animals on the earth? Do they have rights? Do their rights have as much value as, if not more than, the wants and desires of humans? These are some of the questions Gary Steiner answers in his article “Animal, Vegetable, Miserable”, originally printed in the New York Times in November 2009. Steiner, a philosophy professor at Bucknell University who has written two books on the subject, is an “ethical vegan.” Vegans and vegetarians are often confused. A vegetarian avoids eating meat. A vegan avoids eating any animal products – meat, eggs, dairy. An ethical vegan goes a step further and avoids any animal products in all areas of their life, which includes food, clothing, anything tested on animals or created with any animal byproduct, and even the circus and zoos. But because it would be so difficult and possibly detrimental to humans for everyone to be an ethical vegan, it would be best if not everyone followed Steiner's way of life. Steiner argues that non-human animals should not be subjected to a life of confinement and cruelty. He says that animals must have the capacity to feel, and therefore should be treated humanely. He goes further to say that humane treatment alone is not enough if the end result is for a non-human animal to have its life ended for the pleasure, enjoyment, and consumption of humans. He refers to the idea of “free-range” animal products and that fact that many people believe that it is better to eat “free-range” meat and consume “free-range” eggs. But he argues that even free-range animals may have “never been outside or seen a speck of daylight in their entire lives” (846). These arguments are emotional in nature and are intended to tug at the heart strings of readers. Steiner is hoping that his audience will feel bad for these animals living in captivity. He wants his readers to imagine how dismal life would be with a single “speck of daylight.” Another pa